Reasonable Efforts to Preserve or Reunify Families and Achieve Permanency for Children - Wyoming

What Are Reasonable Efforts

Citation: Ann. Stat. § 14-3-440

Reasonable efforts require services to the family that are accessible, available, and appropriate.

When Reasonable Efforts Are Required

Citation: Ann. Stat. § 14-3-440

Reasonable efforts must be made as follows:

• Prior to placement of the child outside the home to prevent or eliminate the need for removing the child from the child's home
• To make it possible for the child to return home safely
• If continuation of reasonable efforts is determined to be inconsistent with the permanency plan for the child, to complete the steps necessary to finalize the permanent placement of the child

When Reasonable Efforts Are NOT Required

Citation: Ann. Stat. § 14-2-309(b)-(c)

Reasonable efforts to reunify the family are not required when the parent has been convicted of any of the following crimes:

• Murder or voluntary manslaughter of another child of the parent or aiding and abetting, attempting, conspiring to commit, or soliciting such a crime
• Commission of a felony assault that results in serious bodily injury to a child of the parent

Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, evidence that reasonable efforts have been made to preserve and reunify the family is not required in any case in which the court determines, by clear and convincing evidence, any one or more of the following:

• The parental rights of the parent to any other child have been terminated involuntarily.
• The parent abandoned, chronically abused, tortured, or sexually abused the child.
• The parent has been convicted of committing one or more of the following crimes against the child or another child of that parent:
  • Sexual assault under §§ 6-2-302 through 6-2-304
  • Sexual battery under § 6-2-313
  • Sexual abuse of a minor under §§ 6-2-314 through 6-2-317
• The parent is required to register as a sex offender pursuant to § 7-19-302, if the offense involved the child or another child of that parent. This shall not apply if the parent is only required to register for conviction under § 6-2-201.
• Other aggravating circumstances exist indicating that there is little likelihood that services to the family will result in successful reunification.