43-4711. Juvenile court; determination; findings or orders.

(1) At every dispositional, review, or permanency planning hearing, the juvenile court shall make a determination regarding:

(a) The steps the department is taking to ensure the child’s foster family home or child-care institution is following the reasonable and prudent parent standard;

(b) Whether the child has regular, ongoing opportunities to engage in age or developmentally appropriate activities; and

(c) Whether the department has consulted with the child in an age or developmentally appropriate manner about the opportunities of the child to participate in such activities.

(2) In making this determination, the juvenile court shall ask the child, in an age or developmentally appropriate manner, about his or her access to regular and ongoing opportunities to engage in age or developmentally appropriate activities. If the child, the guardian ad litem, the caregiver, or a party to the proceeding believes that the child has not had regular, ongoing opportunities to engage in such activities, the juvenile court may make appropriate findings or orders to ensure the child has regular, ongoing opportunities to engage in age and developmentally appropriate activities. In making such findings or orders, the court shall give deference to the caregiver in making decisions within the reasonable and prudent parent standard.

Source:Laws 2016, LB746, § 11.