29 New action

If a child has already reached permanency, meaning they have a stable, permanent living situation like adoption or guardianship, and someone wants to raise a new issue or ask to remove the child from that home, they can't just add it to the old case. They have to start a brand new case instead.

This matters because once a child's situation is considered settled and permanent, the court treats that chapter as closed. Any new concerns, whether it's a new allegation of abuse or neglect, or a request to change the child's placement, need to go through the process of opening a fresh case rather than reopening the old one.

For families and caseworkers, this means paperwork and court dates start over. You'll need to file new documents, and the case will move through the system as if it's the first time this issue has come up, even if it involves the same child or family from before.