State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Rhode-island > Title-23 > Chapter-23-13-1 > 23-13-1-5SECTION 23-13.1-5
§ 23-13.1-5 DCYF – Procedure. –(a) Immediately upon any time that a hospital or other facility designated inthis chapter takes physical possession of an infant pursuant to this chapter,the hospital or other facility designated in this chapter shall notify thedirector of the department of children, youth and families, or his or herdesignee, that it has physical possession of the infant. The director of thedepartment of children, youth and families shall establish a procedure by whicha hospital or other facility designated in this chapter can notify thedepartment for children, youth and families. The department of children, youthand families shall immediately respond to the hospital or other facilitydesignated in this chapter and place the infant in the temporary protectivecustody of the department and make arrangements for the infant to undergo acomprehensive medical examination by a licensed physician or a duly certifiedregistered nurse practitioner in accordance with the provisions of §40-11-5. Thereafter, the department of children, youth and families shall filean emergency petition for the removal of the infant from the care and custodyof the parents in accordance with the provisions of § 40-11-7.
(b) The department of children, youth and families shall,upon obtaining temporary custody of the infant and provided that no person hasasserted a claim to be the parent of the infant within ninety (90) days of thedepartment obtaining custody, commence proceedings to terminate the parentalrights of the parents of the infant in accordance with the provisions of §15-7-7. The leaving of the infant at a hospital or other facility designatedherein and the failure of a person to assert a claim to be the parent of theinfant within ninety (90) days of the infant being placed in the temporarycustody of the department of children, youth and families shall constituteprima facie evidence of permanent abandonment of the infant.
