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Committee weighs bill letting courts order services at shelter care hearings for young children
Summary
HB 2660 would allow courts at shelter-care hearings to mandate culturally appropriate services or evaluations for parents of children under five when reasonable cause exists and the child remains at home; supporters call it a targeted tool to reduce critical incidents, while public defenders, legal advocates, and some providers warn about due-process, funding, and operational feasibility.
House Bill 26-60, introduced by Representative Ortiz Self, would permit courts holding shelter-care hearings to order parents of children under age five to participate in services, evaluations or other conditions when the court finds reasonable cause to believe such measures are necessary to maintain a child’s safety while the child remains at home. Committee staff explained the provision would apply at the shelter-care hearing (generally held within 72 hours of custody), not at dependency disposition, and that services ordered must be culturally appropriate and reasonably available; the Department must provide referrals within seven days of a signed release of information.
Representative Ortiz Self said the bill is intended to address a rise in critical incidents involving very young children and to align certain terminology with federal law, noting the…
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