Rule 5:18-3.Long-Term Placement
Last amended December 31, 1983 · Current through September 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026
Full Text of Rule 5:18-3
Amendment History
New Jersey publishes each rule’s amendment record in a “Note” beneath the rule. It is reproduced verbatim below; a “Source” line names the former rule the current one grew out of, and “R. (1969)” citations refer to the earlier numbering it replaced.
Note: Source--new. Adopted December 20, 1983, to be effective December 31, 1983.
Plain-English Summary
Long-term placement asks a different question from temporary placement. Here the court considers whether placement in the home would fail to provide adequate physical protection, shelter or nutrition — or would seriously obstruct the juvenile's medical care, education, or physical and emotional development.
That second limb is the broader one. A home can be safe and still be one in which a child's development or schooling is seriously obstructed, and the rule treats that as a sufficient basis for long-term placement.
Approval does not end judicial oversight. On entry of an order approving a long-term out-of-home placement plan, the matter is reviewed under the Child Placement Review Act — the same board-and-court review machinery that governs children placed by the Division, in Rule 5:13.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the court consider for a long-term placement?
Whether placement in the home would fail to provide adequate physical protection, shelter or nutrition, or would seriously obstruct the juvenile's medical care, education, or physical and emotional development.
What happens after a long-term placement is approved?
The matter is reviewed pursuant to the Child Placement Review Act.