Section 1770. Review of Out of Home Placement in Juvenile Delinquency Matters

(a) General rule. If a court under the Juvenile Act, 42 Pa.C.S. § 6301 et seq., enters an order after an adjudication of delinquency of a juvenile pursuant to Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure 409(A)(2) and 515, which places the juvenile in an out of home overnight placement in any agency or institution that shall provide care, treatment, supervision or rehabilitation of the juvenile (‘‘Out of Home Placement’’), the juvenile may seek review of that order pursuant to a petition for review under Chapter 15 (judicial review of governmental determinations). The petition shall be filed within ten days of the said order.

(b) Content. A petition for review under subdivision (a) shall contain: (i) a specific description of any determinations made by the juvenile court; (ii) the matters complained of; (iii) a concise statement of the reasons why the juvenile court abused its discretion in ordering the Out of Home Placement; (iv) the proposed terms and conditions of an alternative disposition for the juvenile; and (v) a request that the official court reporter for the juvenile court transcribe the notes of testimony as required by subdivision (g) of this Rule. Any order(s) and opinion(s) relating to the Out of Home Placement and the transcript of the juvenile court’s findings shall be attached as appendices. The petition shall be supported by a certificate of counsel to the effect that it is presented in good faith and not for delay.

(c) Objection to specific agency or institution, or underlying adjudication of delinquency, is not permitted.

(1) A petition for review under subdivision (a) shall not challenge the specific agency or specific institution that is the site of the Out of Home Placement and instead shall be limited to the Out of Home Placement itself.

(2) A petition for review under subdivision (a) shall not challenge the underlying adjudication of delinquency.

(d) Answer. Any answer shall be filed within ten days of service of the petition, and no other pleading is authorized. Rule 1517 (applicable rules of pleading) and Rule 1531 (intervention) through 1551 (scope of review) shall not be applicable to a petition for review filed under subdivision (a).

(e) Service. A copy of the petition for review and any answer thereto shall be served on the judge of the juvenile court and the official court reporter for the juvenile court. All parties in the juvenile court shall be served in accordance with Rule 121(b) (service of all papers required). The Attorney General of Pennsylvania need not be served in accordance with Rule 1514(c) (service), unless the Attorney General is a party in the juvenile court.

(f) Opinion of juvenile court. Upon receipt of a copy of a petition for review under subdivision (a), if the judge who made the disposition of the Out of Home Placement did not state the reasons for such placement on the record at the time of disposition pursuant to Rule of Juvenile Court Procedure 512 (D), the judge shall file of record a brief statement of the reasons for the determination or where in the record such reasons may be found, within five days of service of the petition for review.

(g) Transcription of Notes of Testimony. Upon receipt of a copy of a petition for review under subdivision (a), the court reporter shall transcribe the notes of testimony and deliver the transcript to the juvenile court within five business days. If the transcript is not prepared and delivered in a timely fashion, the juvenile court shall order the court reporter to transcribe the notes and deliver the notes to the juvenile court, and may impose sanctions for violation of such an order. If the juvenile is proceeding in forma pauperis, the juvenile shall not be charged for the cost of the transcript. Chapter 19 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure shall not otherwise apply to petitions for review filed under this Rule.

(h) Non-waiver of objection to placement. A failure to seek review under this rule of the Out of Home Placement shall not constitute a waiver of the juvenile’s right to seek review of the placement in a notice of appeal filed by the juvenile from a disposition after an adjudication of delinquency.

Official Note

This Rule provides a mechanism for the expedited review of an order of Out of Home Placement entered pursuant to Rule of Juvenile Court Procedure 515. Rule of Juvenile Court Procedure 512(D) requires the judge who made the disposition of an Out of Home Placement to place the reasons for an Out of Home Placement on the record at the time of the disposition, and subdivision (f) of this Rule is only applicable in the exceptional circumstance where the judge who made the disposition of an Out of Home Placement fails to comply with Rule of Juvenile Court Procedure 512(D). The Juvenile Act, 42 Pa.C.S. § 6352, sets forth the considerations for a dispositional order following an adjudication of delinquency and the alternatives for disposition. The standard for review of a dispositional order is an abuse of discretion. See In the Interest of A.D., 771 A.2d 45 (Pa. Super. 2001) (en banc).

The provisions of this Rule 1770 adopted December 10, 2012, effective in 60 days, 42 Pa.B. 7813.