Termination With Severance Letter In Maricopa
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What Are the Grounds for Termination of Parental Rights in Arizona? Abandonment. Neglect. Abuse. Felony Conviction of a Parent. Lack of Verifiable Paternity. Any Unknown Parent Identity. Parents Are Otherwise Deemed Unfit to Raise Their Child. Frequent Rehousing of the Child.
How to terminate parental rights in Arizona File a Petition for Termination of Parent-Child Relationship. Obtain an order from the court to set an initial hearing. Obtain a Notice of Initial Hearing from the Clerk of Court. Assemble the required paperwork. Serve the paperwork. Attend the initial hearing.
Parental rights cannot be terminated by a private person. This can only happen by order of court upon a petition from DCFS or the State's Attorney's office. The only exception is by consent or finding of abuse in the course of an adoption procedure.
The court assesses the best interest of the child as the foremost matter. To win a termination of parental rights case, you must present clear and convincing evidence that shows a significant improvement in the child's welfare by severing the biological parent's rights is necessary.
A mother or father has to be absent at least 6 months to lose their parental rights in Arizona. Both ARS 8-201 & ARS 8-531 say, “Failure to maintain a normal parental relationship with the child without just cause for a period of six months constitutes prima facie evidence of abandonment.”