Effective 28 Aug 2005

211.037. Nonoffending parent, child returned to custody of, when. — 1. For purposes of proceedings and investigations conducted pursuant to this chapter, children shall be promptly returned to the care and custody of a nonoffending parent entitled to physical custody of the child if:

(1) The parents have continuously maintained joint domicile for a period of at least six months prior to the alleged incident or the parents are maintaining separate households; and

(2) A preponderance of the evidence indicates that only one of the parents is the subject of an investigation of abuse or neglect; and

(3) The nonoffending parent does not have a history of criminal behavior, drug or alcohol abuse, child abuse or child neglect, domestic violence, or stalking within the past five years; and

(4) The parents are maintaining joint domicile and the offending parent is removed from the home voluntarily or involuntarily, or the parents live separately and the child is removed from the home of the offending parent; and

(5) A nonoffending parent requests custody of the child and agrees to cooperate with any orders of the court limiting contact or establishing visitation with the offending parent and the nonoffending parent complies with such orders.

­­When the parents maintain joint domicile or comply with court-ordered visitation, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the nonoffending parent has not committed any violation of section 568.030, 568.032, 568.045, 568.050, or 568.060, or has not engaged in any conduct that would constitute child abuse or neglect under chapter 210. In order to rebut the presumption there must be a finding of actual harm or endangerment to the child if the child is placed in the custody of the nonoffending parent.

2. Nothing in this section shall prevent the division or the court from exercising its discretion to return a child or children to the custody of any individual.

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(L. 2004 H.B. 1453 § 1, A.L. 2005 H.B. 568)