Florida Statutes

Fla. Stat. § 394.4785 (2025)

Children and adolescents; admission and placement in mental facilities.

✓ 2025 Florida Statutes — current through the 2025 Regular Session

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394.4785 Children and adolescents; admission and placement in mental facilities.—

(1) A child or adolescent as defined in s. 394.492 may not be admitted to a state-owned or state-operated mental health treatment facility. A child may be admitted pursuant to s. 394.4625 or s. 394.467 to a crisis stabilization unit or a residential treatment center licensed under this chapter or a hospital licensed under chapter 395. The treatment center, unit, or hospital must provide the least restrictive available treatment that is appropriate to the individual needs of the child or adolescent and must adhere to the guiding principles, system of care, and service planning provisions contained in part III of this chapter.

(2) A person under the age of 14 who is admitted to any hospital licensed pursuant to chapter 395 may not be admitted to a bed in a room or ward with an adult patient in a mental health unit or share common areas with an adult patient in a mental health unit. However, a person 14 years of age or older may be admitted to a bed in a room or ward in the mental health unit with an adult if the admitting physician or psychiatric nurse documents in the case record that such placement is medically indicated or for reasons of safety. Such placement must be reviewed by the attending physician or a designee or on-call physician each day and documented in the case record.

History.—ss. 1, 2, ch. 82-212; s. 1, ch. 85-254; s. 1, ch. 87-209; s. 2, ch. 2000-265; s. 152, ch. 2000-349; s. 23, ch. 2024-15.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 1 case, 1999–1999 · leading case: State, Dept. of Child. v. Morrison, 727 So. 2d 404 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999).

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State, Dept. of Child. v. Morrison, 727 So. 2d 404 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999). · cites it 2× “In the present case Morrison argues that separate treatment for minors committed for mental treatment is regulated by section 394.4785, Florida Statutes (1997).”

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