Short Title; Purpose; Construction

(a)This Chapter, which shall be called and may be cited as the “Child Protective Act,” creates within the jurisdiction of the Family Court procedures to safeguard, treat and provide permanent planning for children who have been harmed or threatened with harm.

(b)I Liheslatura finds that children deserve and require competent, responsible parenting and safe, secure, loving and nurturing homes. I Liheslatura finds that children who have been harmed and threatened with harm are less likely than other children to realize their full educational, vocational and emotional potential, less likely to become law-abiding, productive, self-sufficient citizens, and are more likely to become involved with the mental health system, the juvenile justice system or the criminal justice system, as well as become an economic burden on the government of Guam. I Liheslatura finds that prompt identification, reporting, investigation, adjudication, treatment and disposition of cases involving children who are harmed or threatened with harm are in both the children’s and society’s best interests because such children are exploitable and vulnerable and have limited defenses.

(c)The policy and purpose of this Chapter are to provide children with prompt and ample protection from the harms detailed herein, with an opportunity for timely reconciliation with their families where practical, and with timely and permanent planning so they may develop and mature into responsible, selfsufficient and law-abiding citizens. This permanent planning should effectuate placement with a child’s own family when possible and should be conducted in an expeditious fashion so that where return to the child’s family is not possible as provided in this Chapter, such children will be promptly and permanently placed with responsible and competent substitute parents and families, with their places in such families secured by adoption or permanent custody orders.

(d)This Chapter shall be liberally construed to serve the best interests of the children and the purposes set out in this Chapter.