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A.R.S. § 8-538

Court order; form; contents

Applied in 5 court decisions — leading case In Re the Appeal in Maricopa County, Juvenile Actions Nos. J-86384 & JS-2605 (1979)

Most recently applied in 711 So. 2d 125 - Ponton v. Tabares (April 1998)

How often courts cite this section

197919801990199820
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

A. Every order of the court terminating the parent-child relationship or transferring legal custody or guardianship of the person of the child or providing for protective supervision of the child shall be in writing and shall recite the findings on which the order is based, including findings pertaining to placement of the child and the court's jurisdiction. The order is conclusive and binding on all persons from the date of entry.

B. If the court finds grounds for the termination of the parent-child relationship it shall terminate the relationship and take one of the following courses of action:

1. Appoint an individual as guardian of the child.

2. Appoint an individual as the child's guardian and vest legal custody in another individual or in an authorized agency.

C. If the court finds that placement with a grandparent or another member of the child's extended family including a person who has a significant relationship with the child is not in the child's best interests, the court shall make specific written findings in support of its decision.

D. The court shall also make an order fixing responsibility for the child's support. The parent-child relationship may be terminated with respect to one parent without affecting the relationship between the child and the other parent.

E. If the court does not order termination of the parent-child relationship, it shall dismiss the petition, provided that if the court finds that the best interests of the child require substitution or supplementation of parental care and supervision, the court shall make such orders as it deems necessary.

Official source: Arizona State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Arizona statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.