A. A., In re, 67-75
| Decision Date | 02 December 1975 |
| Docket Number | No. 67-75,67-75 |
| Citation | 349 A.2d 230,134 Vt. 41 |
| Parties | In re A. A. (Juvenile). |
| Court | Vermont Supreme Court |
Michael J. Sheehan, Windsor County State's Atty. and William J. Donahue, Windsor County Deputy State's Atty., White River Junction, for State of Vermont.
Niles, Johnson & Gibbs, Woodstock, for the mother.
Robert Edward West, Defender Gen., Montpelier, and Alan S. Rome, Juvenile Defender, Middlebury, for the juvenile.
Before BARNEY, C. J., and SMITH, DALEY, LARROW, and BILLINGS, JJ.
At issue in this appeal from the District Court of Vermont, Unit No. 6, Windsor Circuit, sitting as a juvenile court, is the propriety of a court-ordered transfer of residual parental rights to the State of Vermont as a result of a 'review' proceeding which had been scheduled by a provision of the court's original disposition order six months previously. We conclude that the particular review procedure used below is not authorized by our juvenile statutes and, as a consequence, the transfer order must be reversed.
After appropriate proceedings commencing in April, 1974, under Title 33, ch. 12, A. A. was found to be a neglected child. A disposition hearing was held in June, and pursuant to a stipulation of the parties, the custody and guardianship of the child were transferred to the Vermont Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. Residual parental rights were not transferred at the June disposition hearing, as evidenced by the fact that the disposition option in the printed form was crossed out in the court's order. Under the 'other disposition' option of the order form was typed, 'This matter is scheduled for review on December 9, 1974, at 9:30 A.M.' The scheduled review was held December 27, 1974, which resulted in the residual parental rights to A. A. being transferred to the State. The mother appeals.
The State points to 33 V.S.A. § 659(a) as authorization for the review procedure undertaken by the juvenile court below. In pertinent part, § 659(a) allows for amendment of a disposition order of a juvenile court at any time on the court's own motion 'on the ground that changed circumstances so require in the best interests of the child.' It is apparent that the court, by its own motion, could have moved for modification of the June, 1974, disposition order relating to A. A. in December of that year, if it believed changed circumstances existed in December and that it would be in the child's best interest at that time. But what was actually done by the court was to condition its final disposition order in June with a review hearing ordered for December. Section 659(a) provides no authority for this measure. In fact, the law seeks instead, in the best interests of the child, to insure not only a speedy disposition of the proceedings, 33 V.S.A. § 654(b), but also a final disposition, subject only to specifically enumerated time limitations, 33 V.S.A. § 658, and modification procedures, 33 V.S.A. § 659(a), which were not followed here.
The public defender, who appeared for the juvenile and joined with the State in...
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