Rule 1333 Separate Petitions and Consolidated Hearing

When a family has more than one child involved in a dependency case, each child must have their own separate petition filed. A petition is the official document that starts the court process for that child.

If siblings have petitions filed at the same time, each petition must mention the other siblings' petitions. This helps the court see the full picture of what is happening in the family.

Even though each child has their own petition, the court will usually hold one hearing for all the siblings together. A judge can decide to hold separate hearings if there is a good reason to do so.