Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-816.2
This is the official text of Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-816.2, part of Maryland’s Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings — governs court structure and civil procedure.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§3–816.
Official statutory text
§3–816.2.
(a) (1) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the court shall conduct a hearing to review the status of each child under its jurisdiction within 6 months after the filing of the first petition under this subtitle and at least every 6 months thereafter.
(2) At a review hearing under this section, the court shall:
(i) Evaluate the safety of the child;
(ii) Determine the continuing necessity for and appropriateness of any out–of–home placement;
(iii) Determine the appropriateness of and extent of compliance with the case plan for the child;
(iv) Determine the extent of progress that has been made toward alleviating or mitigating the causes necessitating the court’s jurisdiction; and
(v) Project a reasonable date by which the child may be returned to and safely maintained in the home or placed for adoption or under a legal guardianship.
(b) (1) The court shall conduct a hearing to review the status of a child placed in a qualified residential treatment program and determine the appropriateness of placement within 60 days after the child enters the placement.
(2) At a hearing under this subsection, the court shall:
(i) Review the assessment of the child conducted by a qualified individual;
(ii) Consider whether the needs of the child can be met through placement in a foster family home;
(iii) Consider whether placement of the child in a qualified residential treatment program provides the most effective and appropriate care for the child in the least restrictive environment; and
(iv) Consider whether placement of the child in a qualified residential treatment program is consistent with the short–term and long–term goals for the child as specified in the permanency plan.
(3) The court shall state, in writing, the reasons for its decision to approve or disapprove the continued placement of a child in a qualified residential treatment program under this subsection.
(c) If a permanency plan for the child has been determined under § 3–823 of this subtitle, a review hearing conducted by the court under § 3–823(h) of this subtitle shall satisfy the requirements of this section.
(a) (1) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the court shall conduct a hearing to review the status of each child under its jurisdiction within 6 months after the filing of the first petition under this subtitle and at least every 6 months thereafter.
(2) At a review hearing under this section, the court shall:
(i) Evaluate the safety of the child;
(ii) Determine the continuing necessity for and appropriateness of any out–of–home placement;
(iii) Determine the appropriateness of and extent of compliance with the case plan for the child;
(iv) Determine the extent of progress that has been made toward alleviating or mitigating the causes necessitating the court’s jurisdiction; and
(v) Project a reasonable date by which the child may be returned to and safely maintained in the home or placed for adoption or under a legal guardianship.
(b) (1) The court shall conduct a hearing to review the status of a child placed in a qualified residential treatment program and determine the appropriateness of placement within 60 days after the child enters the placement.
(2) At a hearing under this subsection, the court shall:
(i) Review the assessment of the child conducted by a qualified individual;
(ii) Consider whether the needs of the child can be met through placement in a foster family home;
(iii) Consider whether placement of the child in a qualified residential treatment program provides the most effective and appropriate care for the child in the least restrictive environment; and
(iv) Consider whether placement of the child in a qualified residential treatment program is consistent with the short–term and long–term goals for the child as specified in the permanency plan.
(3) The court shall state, in writing, the reasons for its decision to approve or disapprove the continued placement of a child in a qualified residential treatment program under this subsection.
(c) If a permanency plan for the child has been determined under § 3–823 of this subtitle, a review hearing conducted by the court under § 3–823(h) of this subtitle shall satisfy the requirements of this section.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.