Rule 22.2 Duty of Clerk Upon Child's Placement in Foster Care

When a child is placed in foster care, the court clerk must act quickly. Within 72 hours, the clerk has to search court records to find out if that child already has an open case in the court system.

The clerk is looking for two specific types of cases. One is a delinquency case, which involves a child accused of breaking the law. The other is a CHINS case, which stands for "Child in Need of Services" and involves a child who needs help or protection.

This search helps make sure the court knows about all active cases connected to that child, so nothing falls through the cracks when the child's situation changes.