California Welfare and Institutions Code

§ 366.3

WIC § 366.3 Effective Jan 1, 2025Div. 2 · Part 1 · Ch. 2 · Art. 10

Statute text

(a)(1) If a juvenile court orders a permanent plan of adoption, tribal customary adoption, adoption of a nonminor dependent pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 366.31, or legal guardianship pursuant to Section 360 or 366.26, the court shall retain jurisdiction over the child or nonminor dependent until the child or nonminor dependent is adopted or the legal guardianship is established, except as provided for in Section 366.29 or, on and after January 1, 2012, Section 366.32. The status of the child or nonminor dependent shall be reviewed every six months to ensure that the adoption or legal guardianship is completed as expeditiously as possible. Following a termination of parental rights, the parent or parents shall not be a party to, or receive notice of, any subsequent proceedings regarding the child.

(2)When the adoption of the child or nonminor dependent has been granted, or in the case of a tribal customary adoption, when the tribal customary adoption order has been afforded full faith and credit and the petition for adoption has been granted, the court shall terminate its jurisdiction over the child or nonminor dependent.

(3)Following establishment of a legal guardianship, the court may continue jurisdiction over the child as a dependent child of the juvenile court or may terminate its dependency jurisdiction and retain jurisdiction over the child as a ward of the legal guardianship as authorized by Section 366.4. If, however, a relative or nonrelative extended family member of the child is appointed the legal guardian of the child and the guardian’s home has been approved pursuant to Section 16519.5 for at least six months, the court shall, except if the relative or nonrelative extended family member guardian objects, or upon a finding of exceptional circumstances, terminate its dependency jurisdiction and retain jurisdiction over the child as a ward of the guardianship as authorized by Section 366.4.

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Legislative history

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 80, Sec. 127. (SB 1525) Effective January 1, 2025.