Iowa Code § 237.20 (2026)

A local board shall, except in delinquency cases, do the following:

1. Review the case of each child receiving foster care assigned to a local board in accordance with written protocols adopted pursuant to section 237.16, subsection 4, to determine whether satisfactory progress is being made toward the goals of the case permanency plan pursuant to section 237.22. The timing and frequency of a review of each case by a local board shall take into consideration the permanency goals, placement setting, and frequency of any court reviews of the case.

a. During each review, the agency responsible for the placement of or services provided to the child shall attend the review and the local board shall review all of the following:

(1) The past, current, and future status of the child and placement as shown through the case permanency plan and case progress reports submitted by the agency responsible for the placement of the child and other information the board may require.

(2) The efforts of the agency responsible for the placement of the child to locate and provide services to the child’s biological or adoptive parents, legal guardians, or fictive kin providing the majority of a child’s daily food, lodging, and support.

(3) The efforts of the agency responsible for the placement of the child to facilitate the return of the child to the home or to find an alternative permanent placement other than foster care if reunion with the parent or previous custodian is not feasible. The agency shall report to the board all factors which either favor or mitigate against a decision or alternative with regard to these matters.

(4) Any problems, solutions, or alternatives which may be capable of investigation, or\n\nTue Dec 09 22:20:40 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 237 (45, 2) 15 CHILD FOSTER CARE FACILITIES, §237.21\n\nother matters with regard to the child which the agency responsible for the placement of the child or the board feels should be investigated with regard to the best interests of the state or of the child.

(5) The compliance of the interested parties with the decision-making rights and responsibilities contained in the family foster care or preadoptive care agreement applicable to a child.

b. A person notified pursuant to subsection 4 shall either attend the review or submit a statement as requested by the local board or in accordance with a written protocol jointly developed by the state board and the department. Statements may, upon the request of an interested party or upon motion of the local board, be given in a private setting. Statements may be made in written, oral, or electronic form. Local board reviews shall pertain to the permanency plan and shall not include issues that do not pertain to the permanency plan.

c. A person who gives an oral statement has the right to representation by counsel at the review.

d. An agency or individual providing services to the child shall submit statements as requested by the local board. Written or recorded statements from other interested parties may also be considered by the board in its review.

2. a. Submit to the appropriate court and the department within fifteen days after the review under subsection 1, the findings and recommendations of the review. The local board shall ensure that the most recent report is available for a court hearing. The report shall include information regarding the case permanency plan and the progress in attaining the permanency goals. The report shall not include issues that do not pertain to the case permanency plan. The findings and recommendations shall include the proposed date of the next review by the local board. The local board shall notify the persons specified in subsection 4 of the findings and recommendations.

b. If the person or agency responsible for services provided to the child disagrees with the review findings or recommendations, the person or agency shall respond during the review or submit a statement to the local board and the court within ten working days of receiving the local board’s report. The response shall explain the reasons the person or agency disagrees with the board’s findings or does not plan to implement the board’s recommendations.

3. Encourage placement of the child in the most appropriate setting reflecting the provisions of chapter 232.

4. a. Notify the following persons at least ten days before the review of a case of a child receiving foster care:

(1) The person, court, or agency responsible for the child.

(2) The parent or parents of the child unless termination of parental rights has occurred pursuant to section 232.117.

(3) The foster care provider of the child.

(4) The child receiving foster care if the child is fourteen years of age or older. The child shall be informed of the review’s purpose and procedure, and of the right to have a guardian ad litem present.

(5) The guardian ad litem of the foster child. An attorney appointed as guardian ad litem shall be eligible for compensation under section 232.141, subsection 2.

(6) The department.

(7) The county attorney.

(8) The person providing services to the child or the child’s family.

(9) An intervenor.

b. The notice shall include a statement that the person notified has the right to representation by counsel at the review. 84 Acts, ch 1279, §31; 88 Acts, ch 1233, §10 – 15; 89 Acts, ch 64, §1 – 3; 92 Acts, ch 1141, §9 – 12; 97 Acts, ch 164, §7; 99 Acts, ch 135, §22; 2003 Acts, ch 151, §8; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §263; 2009 Acts, ch 181, §114; 2022 Acts, ch 1055, §7 – 11 Referred to in §237.18, 237.21\n\n 237.21 Confidentiality of records — penalty.

1. The information and records of or provided to a local board, state board, or court\n\nTue Dec 09 22:20:40 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 237 (45, 2) §237.21, CHILD FOSTER CARE FACILITIES 16\n\nappointed special advocate regarding a child who is receiving foster care or who is under the court’s jurisdiction and the child’s family when relating to services provided or the foster care placement are not public records pursuant to chapter 22. The state board and local boards, with respect to hearings involving specific children receiving foster care and the child’s family, are not subject to chapter 21.

2. Information and records relating to a child receiving foster care and to the child’s family shall be provided to a court appointed special advocate, a local board, or the state board by the department, the department’s agent, or a child placement agency contracted by the department upon request by the court appointed special advocate or either board. A court having jurisdiction of a child receiving foster care shall release the information and records the court deems necessary to determine the needs of the child to a local board or court appointed special advocate upon request by the local board or court appointed special advocate. If confidential information and records are distributed to individual members in advance of a meeting of a local board, the information and records shall be clearly identified as confidential and the members shall take appropriate steps to prevent unauthorized disclosure. If confidential information and records are distributed to a court appointed special advocate or court appointed special advocate program staff, the information shall be confidential and the court appointed special advocate and court appointed special advocate program staff shall take appropriate steps to prevent unauthorized disclosure.

3. A court appointed special advocate may attend family team decision-making meetings or youth transition decision-making meetings upon request by the family or child and disclose case-related observations and recommendations relating to a child or a child’s family while attending the meetings.

4. A court appointed special advocate may disclose case-related observations and recommendations to the agency assigned by the court to supervise the case, to the county attorney, or to the child’s legal representative or guardian ad litem, or at a local board meeting. Case-related observations and recommendations about a child and the child’s parent or about a child and the child’s legal guardian may also be disclosed to the parent or guardian to which the observations and recommendations pertain or to such parent or guardian’s legal representative.

5. Members of the state board and local boards, court appointed special advocates, and the employees of the department are subject to standards of confidentiality pursuant to sections 217.30, 228.6, subsection 1, sections 235A.15, 600.16, and 600.16A. Members of the state and local boards, court appointed special advocates, and employees of the department who disclose information or records of the board or department, other than as provided in subsections 2, 3, and 4, section 232.126, and section 237.20, subsection 2, are guilty of a simple misdemeanor. 84 Acts, ch 1279, §32; 87 Acts, ch 117, §2; 88 Acts, ch 1233, §16, 17; 89 Acts, ch 64, §4; 92 Acts, ch 1196, §1; 2005 Acts, ch 55, §3; 2015 Acts, ch 21, §1 – 3; 2022 Acts, ch 1055, §12, 13; 2022 Acts, ch 1098, §88; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §737 Referred to in §135H.13, 237.24 \n