§ 771 Discontinuation of treatment by agency or institution

If a child or young person is placed in a facility or agency by the court, that agency has to keep caring for them under the terms of the original order. But sometimes things change on the agency's end. This rule covers what happens when that care can't continue as planned.

There are three situations covered here. First, if the agency shuts down or stops operating. Second, if the agency can no longer afford to provide care because state or local government funding has been cut off. Third, if the agency changes its program so much that it no longer offers the kind of help the person actually needs.

In any of these cases, the agency can't just release the person or leave them without a plan. Instead, the agency must bring the person back to the same court that originally placed them there. This gives the court a chance to step back in and decide what should happen next, whether that means finding a new placement or making some other arrangement. The rule exists to make sure people don't fall through the cracks when an agency can no longer do its job.