2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 45a - Probate Courts and Procedure
Chapter 803 - Termination of Parental Rights and Adoption
Section 45a-716 - (Formerly Sec. 45-61d). Hearing on petition to terminate parental rights. Notice. Attorney General as party.

(a) Upon receipt of a petition for termination of parental rights, the Court of Probate, or the Superior Court on a case transferred to it from the Court of Probate in accordance with the provisions of subsection (g) of section 45a-715, shall set a time and place for hearing the petition. The time for hearing shall be not more than thirty days after the filing of the petition, except, in the case of a petition for termination of parental rights based on consent that is filed on or after October 1, 2004, the time for hearing shall be not more than twenty days after the filing of such petition.

(b) The court shall cause notice of the hearing to be given to the following persons, as applicable: (1) The parent or parents of the minor child, including any parent who has been removed as guardian on or after October 1, 1973, under section 45a-606; (2) the father of any minor child born out of wedlock, provided at the time of the filing of the petition (A) he has been adjudicated the father of such child by a court of competent jurisdiction, (B) he has acknowledged in writing that he is the father of such child, (C) he has contributed regularly to the support of such child, (D) his name appears on the birth certificate, (E) he has filed a claim for paternity as provided under section 46b-172a, or (F) he has been named in the petition as the father of the child by the mother; (3) the guardian or any other person whom the court deems appropriate; (4) the Commissioner of Children and Families; and (5) the Attorney General. The Attorney General may file an appearance and shall be and remain a party to the action if the child is receiving or has received aid or care from the state, or if the child is receiving child support enforcement services, as defined in subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231. If the recipient of the notice is a person described in subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection or is any other person whose parental rights are sought to be terminated in the petition, the notice shall contain a statement that the respondent has the right to be represented by counsel and that if the respondent is unable to pay for counsel, counsel will be appointed for the respondent. The reasonable compensation for such counsel shall be established by, and paid from funds appropriated to, the Judicial Department, except that in the case of a Probate Court matter, if funds have not been included in the budget of the Judicial Department for such purposes, such compensation shall be established by the Probate Court Administrator and paid from the Probate Court Administration Fund.

(c) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, notice of the hearing and a copy of the petition, certified by the petitioner, the petitioner’s agent or attorney, or the clerk of the court, shall be served at least ten days before the date of the hearing by personal service or service at the person’s usual place of abode on the persons enumerated in subsection (b) of this section who are within the state, and by first class mail on the Commissioner of Children and Families and the Attorney General. If the address of any person entitled to personal service or service at the person’s usual place of abode is unknown, or if personal service or service at the person’s usual place of abode cannot be reasonably effected within the state, or if any person enumerated in subsection (b) of this section is out of the state, a judge or the clerk of the court shall order notice to be given by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or by publication at least ten days before the date of the hearing. Any such publication shall be in a newspaper of general circulation in the place of the last-known address of the person to be notified, whether within or without this state, or, if no such address is known, in the place where the petition has been filed.

(d) In any proceeding pending in the Court of Probate, in lieu of personal service on, or at the usual place of abode of, a parent or the father of a child born out of wedlock who is either a petitioner or who signs under penalty of false statement a written waiver of personal service on a form provided by the Probate Court Administrator, the court may order notice to be given by first class mail at least ten days before the date of the hearing. If such delivery cannot reasonably be effected, or if the whereabouts of the parents is unknown, notice shall be ordered to be given by publication as provided in subsection (c) of this section.

(P.A. 73-156, S. 5; P.A. 74-164, S. 4, 20; P.A. 75-420, S. 4, 6; P.A. 76-436, S. 642, 681; P.A. 77-614, S. 521, 610; P.A. 79-592, S. 1; 79-631, S. 78, 111; P.A. 80-476, S. 145; 80-483, S. 119, 186; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-11, S. 1, 4; P.A. 84-449, S. 3, 7; P.A. 85-335; P.A. 86-264, S. 3; P.A. 92-118, S. 6; P.A. 93-91, S. 1, 2; 93-170, S. 3; P.A. 96-130, S. 6; 96-170, S. 6, 23; P.A. 97-90, S. 5, 6; P.A. 99-84, S. 31; P.A. 00-137, S. 11; 00-196, S. 32; P.A. 04-128, S. 2; 04-257, S. 110; P.A. 06-149, S. 7; P.A. 07-184, S. 5.)

History: P.A. 74-164 clarified provisions through restatement, added reference to juvenile court acting on case transferred to it from probate court, deleted requirement that hearing be held not less than 20 days after petition filed and added provisions re waiver of right to notice; P.A. 75-420 substituted commissioner of social services for welfare commissioner in Subdiv. (4); P.A. 76-436 substituted superior court for juvenile court, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-614 replaced social services commissioner with commissioner of human resources in Subdiv. (4), effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-592 extended provisions re notice to child’s father to require notice if his name appears on birth certificate or if he has filed a claim for paternity, substituted (as did P.A. 79-631) commissioner of children and youth services for commissioner of human resources in Subdiv. (4) and deleted provision re waiver of notice; P.A. 80-476 divided section into Subsecs. and rephrased provisions; P.A. 80-483 made technical correction; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-11 amended Subsec. (b) to provide that if the recipient of the notice is “a person described in subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection” the notice shall inform him of his right to counsel and that counsel will be appointed for him if he is unable to pay for counsel, and amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) to replace provision that notice of the hearing shall be given by registered or certified mail or by publication if the address or location of the person is unknown with the requirement that notice of the hearing “and a copy of the petition” shall be “personally served” and if personal service cannot be effected then notice may be given by registered or certified mail or by publication in a newspaper in the place of the reasonably ascertainable address of the parent or, if no address is known, in the place where the termination petition has been filed, effective April 1, 1984; P.A. 84-449 amended Subsec. (b) by providing that if the recipient of the notice is “any other person whose parental rights are sought to be terminated in the petition” the notice shall contain a statement re representation by and payment for counsel and by adding provision that “the reasonable compensation for such counsel shall be established by, and paid from funds appropriated to, the judicial department,” and amended Subsec. (c) by requiring notice of the hearing and a copy of the petition to be served “by certified mail, return receipt requested, on the commissioner of children and youth services”, adding “return receipt requested” and replacing “reasonably ascertainable” with “last-known”; P.A. 85-335 amended Subsec. (c) by requiring personal service of persons within the state and service by certified mail, return receipt requested, for any person out of the state, and changing “parent” to “person to be notified”; P.A. 86-264 amended Subsec. (c) by requiring service by registered or certified mail if address of any person entitled to personal service is unknown and added Subsec. (d) permitting notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to parent or father of child born out of wedlock who is petitioner or who waives personal service, and notice by publication if such delivery cannot reasonably be affected or if whereabouts of parents are unknown; Sec. 45-61d transferred to Sec. 45a-716 in 1991; P.A. 92-118 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re compensation of counsel appointed for respondent parent or child in a probate matter; P.A. 93-91 substituted commissioner and department of children and families for commissioner and department of children and youth services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-170 amended Subsec. (b) to require notice to putative father named in petition as father of minor child by mother; P.A. 96-130 made technical changes in Subsecs. (b) and (c); P.A. 96-170 amended Subsec. (b) by changing funding of compensation of counsel from Probate Court Administration Fund to funds appropriated to Judicial Department, unless funds not included in budget of Judicial Department for such purpose, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 97-90 revised effective date of P.A. 96-170 but without affecting this section; P.A. 99-84 amended Subsec. (d) by deleting “oath” and inserting “penalty of false statement”; P.A. 00-137 amended Subsec. (c) by adding provisions re service at the person’s usual place of abode; P.A. 00-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (b); P.A. 04-128 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re time for hearing petition for termination of parental rights based on consent; P.A. 04-257 made technical changes, effective June 14, 2004; P.A. 06-149 added Subsec. (b)(5) re Attorney General, to provide that Attorney General may file appearance and shall be and remain a party if child is receiving or has received aid or care from the state or is receiving child support enforcement services, and to make technical changes, and amended Subsec. (c) to add reference to Attorney General, effective January 1, 2007; P.A. 07-184 amended Subsecs. (c) and (d) to substitute “first class mail” for “certified mail”, delete “return receipt requested” and “deliverable to addressee only”, and insert “or at the usual place of abode”.

Cited. 182 C. 545. Cited. 187 C. 431.

Cited. 22 CA 656.

Cited. 36 CS 94.

Former Subdiv. (2):

Subdiv. (A) cited. 175 C. 527.

Subsec. (b):

Subdiv. (3) cited. 188 C. 259.

Subdiv. (1): Improper to commence termination proceeding in absence of respondent and his counsel. 23 CA 207.

Cited. 41 CS 23.

Annotations to present section:

In action for the termination of parental rights, the court did not deny respondent her procedural due process rights when conducting a trial on the merits with only her counsel present as the court still required petitioner to prove by clear and convincing evidence not only the grounds for termination, but that it was in the child’s best interest for respondent’s parental rights to be terminated. 111 CA 210.

Subsec. (a):

Cited. 234 C. 194.

Subsec. (b):

Cited. 224 C. 263.

Subdiv. (1): Although this provision supports father’s argument that he was a legally necessary party with right of confrontation, it does not require that the court or petitioner repeatedly attempt to locate a properly served, nonappearing, defaulted respondent throughout a hearing nor require that a new trial be ordered when a nonappearing, defaulted respondent is incarcerated after the beginning of a hearing, makes no attempt to contact the court and is later located by the petitioner. 117 CA 521.

Subsec. (c):

Cited. 224 C. 263.