Rule 200.Scope
Ch. XIV: Child Dependency, Neglect and/or Abuse Proceedings · Last amended 2015 · Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified September 9, 2026
Full Text of Rule 200
Amendment History
Delaware prints each rule’s amendment history as a single “Credits” line naming every order that adopted or amended it. It is reproduced verbatim below.
[Amended effective September 12, 2002; April 20, 2015.]
Plain-English Summary
These rules govern the procedures of the Family Court on dependency, neglect and abuse petitions for custody filed by the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families — DSCYF throughout the chapter — under the chapter of Title 13 the rule cites.
A scope rule is worth reading closely, because it tells you what this set does NOT cover. These are the cases in which the State asks the court to take a child into its custody. A private custody dispute between parents runs under the ordinary rules; a dependency case brought by someone other than DSCYF runs under Subpart B of this same chapter, which begins at Rule 223.
What follows in Subpart A is a timetable. Nothing in this chapter is as important as the intervals: a child in the State's custody is waiting, and every hearing has a deadline measured from the day the child was taken.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cases do the Delaware Family Court dependency rules cover?
The procedures on dependency, neglect and abuse petitions for custody filed by DSCYF under the chapter of Title 13 the rule cites.
What if the petitioner is not DSCYF?
Subpart B of this chapter, beginning at Rule 223, applies to proceedings in which DSCYF is not the petitioner.