Rule 203.Scheduling of subsequent proceedings

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 203 has the next hearing date set at or before the end of each hearing, and dispenses with mailed notice where the date is in the order or was given in person.

Full Text of Rule 203

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At or before the conclusion of each hearing a subsequent hearing date shall be set if possible and necessary. Mailed notice is not required when notice of the next hearing date is contained in an order of the Court or actual notice is given to the parties at the hearing.

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 effective September 12, 2002; April 20, 2015.]

Plain-English Summary

At or before the conclusion of each hearing, a subsequent hearing date is set if possible and necessary. Mailed notice is not required where the next date appears in an order of the court, or where actual notice was given to the parties at the hearing.

Both halves save time that a child would otherwise spend waiting. Setting the date in the room means nobody has to find a slot later; skipping the mailing means the next step is not held up by the post. A party who was in court and heard the date has been told, and the order they receive says the same thing.

Rule 202 is the reason this matters. The chapter's deadlines run from the child's removal, not from when a party gets around to scheduling.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the next dependency hearing scheduled in Delaware?

At or before the conclusion of each hearing a subsequent hearing date shall be set if possible and necessary.

Will I be mailed notice of the next hearing?

Mailed notice is not required where the next hearing date is contained in an order of the court, or where actual notice was given to the parties at the hearing.

Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Delaware Family Court Rules of Civil Procedure (Fam. Ct. Civ. R. 203), 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: dependency hearing scheduling DelawareFam. Ct. Civ. R. 203