Juvenile Dependency

Juvenile Dependency actions involve alleged abuse or neglect of a child by a parent or caregiver.

• The goal of these proceedings is to protect children and preserve or reunify families whenever possible.
• Initially, the court must decide whether the allegations of child abuse or neglect are true and whether the child should be removed from the home and made a "dependent" of the court.  
• When it is not in the child's best interest to return the child the child's parents, the goal is to provide a permanent placement for the child with a relative, guardian, foster family, or adoptive parent.

For an overview of what happens in a dependency proceeding, please refer to the following:  The Dependency Court – How It Works.

Through a collaboration between the court and other community partners, the following programs are available for parents of dependent children:

• Drug treatment for parents who have substance abuse problems.
• Dependency Drug Court for parents who need extra monitoring by the court to stay clean and sober.

The community partners involved with these programs include: Health and Human Services Agency; Alcohol and Drug Services; County Counsel; and Dependency Legal Services of San Diego.

Dependency Drug Court sessions are held in Department 8 at the Meadow Lark courthouse on Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. and in Department 20 at the Vista courthouse on Fridays at 9:30 a.m.

CASAs are volunteers who help the court and social workers determine how best to help dependent children and nonminor dependents. They are recruited, trained, and supervised by a private agency, Voices for Children, which has offices in each of the regional courthouses and at the main Juvenile Court.