Rule 201.Construction and enforcement of rules

Ch. XIV: Child Dependency, Neglect and/or Abuse Proceedings · Last amended 2015 · Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified September 9, 2026

In one sentenceRule 201 tells the court to read this chapter liberally, to achieve safety, stability and well-being for the child.

Full Text of Rule 201

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These rules shall be liberally construed to accomplish the purpose of achieving safety, stability, and well-being for dependent, neglected or abused children.

End

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 December 31, 1999, effective 30 days after notice to Bar. Amended effective September 12, 2002; April 20, 2015.]

Plain-English Summary

These rules shall be liberally construed to accomplish the purpose of achieving safety, stability and well-being for dependent, neglected or abused children.

Rule 1 says the same thing for the rulebook as a whole — just, speedy and inexpensive determination. This rule replaces that yardstick for dependency cases, and the substitution is deliberate. Speed and economy are not the point when a child is in the State's care; the child's safety and stability are, and where a procedural question is genuinely open, the reading that serves them is the right one.

Three words, each doing separate work. Safety is immediate. Stability is about not moving a child from placement to placement while adults litigate. Well-being is everything the first two do not capture.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are the Delaware dependency rules interpreted?

Liberally, to accomplish the purpose of achieving safety, stability and well-being for dependent, neglected or abused children.

Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Delaware Family Court Rules of Civil Procedure (Fam. Ct. Civ. R. 201), and every rule has been checked word for word against the Delaware Family Court’s own published edition of these rules. Current through June 1, 2026. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified September 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: liberal construction dependency rules DelawareFam. Ct. Civ. R. 201