Record a child's legal status associated with a court ruling

Before you add a new legal status record, you may need to terminate the previous legal status record. For example, you would terminate the Department legal status to terminate the custody episode. When you terminate the custody episode, you also terminate the Title IV-E program eligibility record. See Terminate a child's legal status.

If you are changing the legal status from temporary custody to permanent custody, you do not terminate the legal status record. Instead, you change the legal status. See Change the legal status for a child.

Follow these steps to record a legal status associated with a court ruling.

  1. From the Home screen, select the case you want to view. The Case Overview screen appears.

  2. Click Court in the link menu. The Case Members Legal History screen appears. The case members who have a legal status record or a court action record appear in the grid.

  3. Click the Legal Status link for a case member in the grid. The Child Legal Status History screen appears. This screen displays the legal status records entered for the child.

  4. Click Add Legal Status. The Child Legal Status Details screen appears.

  5. Complete the fields on this screen. You must complete at least the following:

    Legal Status
    Effective Date

  6. If you are adding a Department legal status when there is no current placement episode for the child, you must select Yes for Does this Legal Status start a new Custody Episode?. This action marks the beginning of the custody episode. It also creates a "Pending" Title IV-E program eligibility record.

  7. Click Save. You are returned to the Child Legal Status History screen.

  8. Click Close. You are returned to the Case Members Legal History screen.