Florida Statutes Chapter 39 — PROCEEDINGS RELATING TO CHILDREN

From the Legislature's 2026 edition, which includes changes effective through January 1, 2027. Later effective dates are retained in each section's source notes.

Title V

• § 39.001 — Purposes and intent; personnel standards and screening.
• § 39.0014 — Responsibilities of public agencies.
• § 39.00145 — Records concerning children.
• § 39.00146 — Case record face sheet.
• § 39.0016 — Education of abused, neglected, and abandoned children; agency agreements; children having or suspected of having a disability.
• § 39.01 — Definitions.
• § 39.011 — Immunity from liability.
• § 39.012 — Rules for implementation.
• § 39.0121 — Specific rulemaking authority.
• § 39.013 — Procedures and jurisdiction; right to counsel; guardian ad litem.
• § 39.01304 — Early childhood court programs.
• § 39.01305 — Appointment of an attorney for a dependent child with certain special needs.
• § 39.0131 — Permanent mailing address and primary e-mail address designation.
• § 39.0132 — Oaths, records, and confidential information.
• § 39.0133 — Court and witness fees.
• § 39.0134 — Appointed counsel; compensation.
• § 39.0135 — Operations and Maintenance Trust Fund.
• § 39.0136 — Time limitations; continuances.
• § 39.0137 — Federal law; rulemaking authority.
• § 39.01375 — Best interest determination for placement.
• § 39.0138 — Criminal history and other records checks; limit on placement of a child.
• § 39.0139 — Visitation or other contact; restrictions.
• § 39.0141 — Missing children; report required.
• § 39.0142 — Notifying law enforcement officers of parent or caregiver names.
• § 39.0143 — Dually-involved children.
• § 39.101 — Central abuse hotline.
• § 39.201 — Required reports of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect, sexual abuse of a child, and juvenile sexual abuse; required reports of death; reports involving a child who has exhibited inappropriate sexual behavior.
• § 39.2015 — Critical incident rapid response team; sexual abuse report investigations.
• § 39.202 — Confidentiality of reports and records in cases of child abuse or neglect; exception.
• § 39.2021 — Release of confidential information.
• § 39.2022 — Public disclosure of reported child deaths.
• § 39.203 — Immunity from liability in cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
• § 39.204 — Abrogation of privileged communications in cases involving child abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
• § 39.205 — Penalties relating to reporting of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
• § 39.206 — Administrative fines for false report of abuse, abandonment, or neglect of a child; civil damages.
• § 39.208 — Cross-reporting child abuse, abandonment, or neglect and animal cruelty.
• § 39.301 — Initiation of protective investigations.
• § 39.302 — Protective investigations of institutional child abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
• § 39.303 — Child Protection Teams and sexual abuse treatment programs; services; eligible cases.
• § 39.3031 — Rules for implementation of s. 39.303.
• § 39.3032 — Memorandum of agreement.
• § 39.3035 — Child advocacy centers; standards; state funding.
• § 39.304 — Photographs, medical examinations, X rays, and medical treatment of abused, abandoned, or neglected child.
• § 39.306 — Child protective investigations; working agreements with local law enforcement.
• § 39.3068 — Reports of medical neglect.
• § 39.307 — Reports of child-on-child sexual abuse.
• § 39.308 — Guidelines for onsite child protective investigation.
• § 39.395 — Detaining a child; medical or hospital personnel.
• § 39.401 — Taking a child alleged to be dependent into custody; law enforcement officers and authorized agents of the department.
• § 39.4015 — Family finding.
• § 39.402 — Placement in a shelter.
• § 39.4021 — Priority placement for out-of-home placements.
• § 39.4022 — Multidisciplinary teams; staffings; assessments; report.
• § 39.40225 — Contracts for development of model placement transition plans.
• § 39.4023 — Placement and education transitions; transition plans.
• § 39.4024 — Placement of siblings; visitation; continuing contact.
• § 39.407 — Medical, psychiatric, and psychological examination and treatment of child; physical, mental, or substance abuse examination of person with or requesting child custody.
• § 39.4075 — Referral of a dependency case to mediation.
• § 39.4085 — Goals for dependent children; responsibilities; education; Office of the Children’s Ombudsman.
• § 39.4087 — Department goals and requirements relating to caregivers; dispute resolution.
• § 39.4091 — Participation in childhood activities.
• § 39.4092 — Multidisciplinary legal representation model program for parents of children in the dependency system.
• § 39.501 — Petition for dependency.
• § 39.502 — Notice, process, and service.
• § 39.503 — Identity or location of parent unknown; special procedures.
• § 39.5035 — Deceased parents; special procedures.
• § 39.504 — Injunction; penalty.
• § 39.505 — No answer required.
• § 39.506 — Arraignment hearings.
• § 39.507 — Adjudicatory hearings; orders of adjudication.
• § 39.5075 — Citizenship or residency status for immigrant children who are dependents.
• § 39.5085 — Relative Caregiver Program.
• § 39.5086 — Kinship navigator programs.
• § 39.509 — Grandparents rights.
• § 39.510 — Appeal.
• § 39.521 — Disposition hearings; powers of disposition.
• § 39.522 — Postdisposition change of custody.
• § 39.523 — Placement in out-of-home care.
• § 39.524 — Safe-harbor placement.
• § 39.6011 — Case plan development.
• § 39.6012 — Case plan tasks; services.
• § 39.6013 — Case plan amendments.
• § 39.602 — Case planning when parents do not participate and the child is in out-of-home care.
• § 39.6021 — Case planning when parents are incarcerated or become incarcerated.
• § 39.603 — Court approvals of case planning.
• § 39.6035 — Transition plan.
• § 39.6036 — Supportive adults for children transitioning out of foster care.
• § 39.604 — Rilya Wilson Act; short title; legislative intent; child care; early education; preschool.
• § 39.621 — Permanency determination by the court.
• § 39.6221 — Permanent guardianship of a dependent child.
• § 39.6225 — Guardianship Assistance Program.
• § 39.6231 — Permanent placement with a fit and willing relative.
• § 39.6241 — Another planned permanent living arrangement.
• § 39.6251 — Continuing care for young adults.
• § 39.701 — Judicial review.
• § 39.702 — Citizen review panels.
• § 39.704 — Exemptions from judicial review.
• § 39.801 — Procedures and jurisdiction; notice; service of process.
• § 39.802 — Petition for termination of parental rights; filing; elements.
• § 39.803 — Identity or location of parent unknown after filing of termination of parental rights petition; special procedures.
• § 39.804 — Penalties for false statements of paternity.
• § 39.805 — No answer required.
• § 39.8055 — Requirement to file a petition to terminate parental rights; exceptions.
• § 39.806 — Grounds for termination of parental rights.
• § 39.807 — Right to counsel; guardian ad litem.
• § 39.808 — Advisory hearing; pretrial status conference.
• § 39.809 — Adjudicatory hearing.
• § 39.810 — Manifest best interests of the child.
• § 39.811 — Powers of disposition; order of disposition.
• § 39.812 — Postdisposition relief; petition for adoption.
• § 39.813 — Continuing jurisdiction.
• § 39.814 — Oaths, records, and confidential information.
• § 39.815 — Appeal.
• § 39.8155 — Reinstatement of parental rights.
• § 39.821 — Qualifications of guardians ad litem.
• § 39.822 — Appointment of guardian ad litem for abused, abandoned, or neglected child.
• § 39.823 — Guardian advocates for drug dependent newborns.
• § 39.824 — Jurisdiction.
• § 39.825 — Petition for appointment of a guardian advocate.
• § 39.826 — Process and service.
• § 39.827 — Hearing for appointment of a guardian advocate.
• § 39.828 — Grounds for appointment of a guardian advocate.
• § 39.829 — Powers and duties of guardian advocate.
• § 39.8295 — Review and removal of guardian advocate.
• § 39.8296 — Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office; legislative findings and intent; creation; appointment of executive director; duties of office.
• § 39.8297 — County funding for guardian ad litem employees.
• § 39.8298 — Guardian ad Litem direct-support organization.
• § 39.901 — Domestic violence centers; legislative findings; requirements.
• § 39.902 — Definitions.
• § 39.903 — Duties and functions of the department with respect to domestic violence.
• § 39.904 — Report to the Legislature on the status of domestic violence cases.
• § 39.905 — Domestic violence centers.
• § 39.9055 — Certified domestic violence centers; capital improvement grant program.
• § 39.9057 — Unlawful disclosure of certified domestic violence center location; penalties.
• § 39.906 — Referral to centers and notice of rights.
• § 39.908 — Confidentiality of information received by department or domestic violence center.