§ 1039-A Procedures following adjournment in contemplation of dismissal

When a family court case gets an "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" (often called an ACD), the case is paused instead of decided right away. If everything stays clean during that waiting period, the case gets dismissed later. This rule deals with what happens if a new report of child abuse or neglect comes in while that ACD order is still active.

If child protective services investigates a new complaint and finds it "indicated," meaning they believe it's supported by evidence, they have to tell the child's lawyer about it. This applies if the new report names the same person who was the respondent in the original case, or if it names anyone else mentioned in that original report.

The point of this rule is to keep the child's attorney in the loop. Since the ACD means the court isn't actively supervising the situation the way it would with an open case, this rule makes sure someone is still watching out for the child. If a new problem shows up involving the same people, the child's lawyer needs to know right away so they can decide if the court needs to step back in.