A dependency hearing is a court proceeding involving a juvenile, typically in cases of abuse or neglect. The first step may begin with children being removed from their parents and placed in protective custody. When the children are placed in protective custody and taken from the home, there will be an investigation to decide whether the children can be safely returned to the home from which they were taken. The court determines whether allegations of abuse or neglect concerning a child are sustained by the evidence and if so, are legally sufficient to support state intervention on behalf of the child.
