R.I. Gen. Laws § 40-5-15: Citation and proceedings against kindred.

The director of public welfare of any town, or the department of human services of the state through its representative duly appointed, shall apply to the clerk of the district court for, and the clerk shall thereupon issue, a citation substantially in the form of the citation prescribed in § 44-5-26; and the citation shall contain the name or names of the kindred, and the citation and petition shall in all respects follow the procedure, and be subject to the jurisdiction of the district courts as set forth in §§ 8-8-3 — 8-8-5.