Georgia Code
Part 6 - Disposition
§ 15-11-321. Custody of Child Following Termination Proceedings or Surrender of Parental Rights; Use of Hearsay Evidence

(a.1) The court may consider any evidence, including hearsay evidence, that the court finds to be relevant, reliable, and necessary to determine the needs of a child and the permanency and custody of a child whose parents have had their parental rights terminated or who have surrendered their parental rights.
History. Code 1981, § 15-11-321 , enacted by Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 1-1/HB 242; Ga. L. 2016, p. 134, § 1-4/HB 887; Ga. L. 2019, p. 456, § 4/SB 167; Ga. L. 2021, p. 134, § 10/SB 28.
The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, deleted the former second sentence of subsection (a), which read: “In determining which placement is in a child’s best interests, the court shall initially attempt to place the child with an adult who is a relative or fictive kin, if such individual is willing and found by the court to be qualified to receive and care for such child.”
The 2021 amendment, effective January 1, 2022, added subsection (a.1).
Cross references.
Time limitations upon orders of disposition — commitment to Division of Youth Services, Uniform Rules for the Juvenile Courts of Georgia, Rule 15.2.
Hearsay evidence, T. 24, C. 8.

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