APPENDIXBSD.docVIP

South Dakota Last edited: November 2005 Summary and Analysis An attorney must be appointed to represent the childs best interests in abuse and neglect proceedings. A GAL or court appointed special advocate may be appointed to assist such an attorney, and must be appointed as assistant when the child is adjudicated as abused or neglected and removed from his or her home. There is no training requirement for attorneys who represent children. Beginning in 2002 and operating statewide since 2003 is a revised juvenile docketing system. The system contains filing and case management information on juvenile delinquency, Children in Need of Supervision, and abuse and neglect cases. South Dakota has also expanded its CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program; there is a statewide CASA Office in the state capitol and a local program in each of the state’s seven circuits. House Bill 1053, passed in 2004, increased liquidated costs to thirty dollars for convictions for certain violations, 2 dollars of which go toward the CASA fund. Sources of Law Statutes South Dakota Statutes § 26-7A-6 (Best Interests of the Child)Liberal construction for protection of child. Provisions of this chapter and chapters 26-8A, 26-8B, and 26-8C shall be liberally construed in favor of the child, the child’s parents, and the state for the purposes of protecting the child from abuse or neglect by the child’s parents, guardian, or custodian and for the purposes of affording guidance, control, and rehabilitation of any child in need of supervision or any delinquent child. South Dakota Statutes § 26-7A-30 (Representation by Attorney)…The court shall advise the child and the child’s parents, guardian, or custodian involved in any action or proceedings under this chapter or chapter 26-8A, 26-8B, or 26-8C of their constitutional and statutory rights, including the right to be represented by an attorney, at the first appearance of the parties before the court….South Dakota Statutes §26-7a-