Art. 700. Order; appeal
A. At the conclusion of the case review hearing, the court shall make a finding as to
whether the child can safely return to the custody of the parent and shall order return of
custody to the parent if it is safe to do so. The court order shall give specific written reasons
for the findings. If the court finds that the child cannot be safely returned to the parent under
terms and conditions deemed to be in the best interest of the child, the court may take one
of the following actions:
(1) Approve the plan as consistent with the health, welfare, and safety of the child
and order compliance by all parties.
(2) Find that the case plan is not appropriate, in whole or in part, based on the
evidence presented at the contradictory hearing, and order the department to revise the case
plan accordingly.
B. At the conclusion of the case review hearing, the court shall inform the parents
of all of the following:
(1) It is their obligation to cooperate with the department, comply with the
requirements of the case plan, including their duty to keep the department apprised of their
current address, and to correct the conditions requiring the child to be in care.
(2) It is their continuing responsibility to support the achievement of timely
permanency for the child and to advise the department and the court in writing of the
whereabouts, including the address, cellular number, telephone number, and any other
contact information, of all grandparents, all parents of a sibling where such parent has legal
custody of such sibling, and all other adult relatives of the child.
(3) A termination of parental rights petition may be filed based on their failure to
comply with the case plan, failure to make significant measurable progress toward achieving
case plan goals and to correct the conditions requiring the child to be in care, or on any other
ground authorized by Article 1015.
C. Any person directly affected may appeal the findings or orders of the court
rendered pursuant to this Article.
Acts 1991, No. 235, §6, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1999, No. 449, §1, eff. July 1, 1999;
Acts 2015, No. 124, §1, eff. June 19, 2015; Acts 2022, No. 272, §1.