The director of a treatment program or facility immediately shall discharge to the parent, legal guardian, or agency a voluntarily admitted child who:
(1) is no longer in need of that treatment program or facility; or
(2) requests his own discharge or whose discharge is requested, in writing, by his parent or legal guardian, or other interested person, unless at least one of the following exists:
(a) the child was admitted on his application if sixteen years of age or older, and the request for discharge is made by a person other than the child, in which case, discharge is conditioned upon agreement of the child;
(b) the child, by reason of age, was admitted on the application of another person, in which case, discharge, before becoming sixteen years of age, is conditioned upon three days' notice, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, being given to and consent being obtained from his parent or legal guardian;
(c) the director of the treatment program or facility, within three days, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, after the child or other interested person requests the child's discharge, files with the court of the county in which the child resided or was present immediately before his admission, a petition for judicial commitment pursuant to Section 44-24-90.
HISTORY: 1991 Act No. 88, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 30, Section 1.
Structure South Carolina Code of Laws
Chapter 24 - Commitment Of Children In Need Of Mental Health Treatment
Section 44-24-10. Definitions.
Section 44-24-20. Voluntary admission; notification of guardian ad litem.
Section 44-24-40. Discharge of voluntarily admitted child; grounds for not effecting discharge.
Section 44-24-60. Emergency admission of child to inpatient hospital.
Section 44-24-70. Taking custody of child needing emergency admission.
Section 44-24-100. Notice of hearing for emergency or judicial admission.
Section 44-24-120. Removal of proceedings to another county.
Section 44-24-130. Hearing; location; testimony; rules of evidence; transcript.
Section 44-24-140. Determination after presentation of evidence.
Section 44-24-150. Psychiatric evaluations of children; notification of victims.
Section 44-24-180. Court review of case of child involuntarily admitted.
Section 44-24-200. Unauthorized absence of child from facility or residential program.
Section 44-24-220. Requirement of discharge planning and continuity of service in community.
Section 44-24-230. Provision of community-based treatment as alternative to hospitalization.
Section 44-24-270. Personal, civil, and property rights of child in treatment program.