Cuyahoga County reviews handling of custody cases

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

County juvenile court magistrates in Cleveland want to hand over the responsibility of deciding when children must be removed from their homes in emergencies, a change that is opposed by the prosecutor and public defender and would most likely leave social workers to make the call.

A memo from the children and family services division of the Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office said judges find the emergency telephone hearings disruptive to their work and personal lives and feel the situations often aren’t true emergencies, The Plain Dealer reported Wednesday.

Juvenile court administrators said in an email that the handling of the emergency custody cases is being reviewed and that they’re looking to serve the best interest of the county’s children, the newspaper said.

The county Children and Family Services agency also opposes transferring the responsibility from judges to someone else. Doing so could go against a recommendation from the state Supreme Court.