{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-620.170","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 620.170","heading":"Voluntary commitments.","body":"(1) The cabinet may accept custody of a child who is voluntarily committed to the\ncabinet by the child's parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody.\nHowever, the cabinet shall refuse to accept any child on a voluntary commitment\nunless adequate fac ilities, funds, and resources are available to care for the child,\nand the secretary finds that commitment would be in the best interest of the child.\n(2) As a condition of any voluntary commitment, the cabinet may enter into an\nagreement with the parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody of the\nchild consenting to the commitment to pay an agreed sum for the care and treatment\nof the child. The sum shall be determined by the needs of the child and by the\nability of the parent, guardian, or othe r person having legal custody or other person\nexercising custodial control or to pay.\n(3) In the case of voluntary commitment, the cabinet may expend funds necessary to\ngive the child all services available to any committed child including, but not\nlimited to, diagnosis, treatment, foster care, day care, care and treatment in a\nfacility, and necessary medical, psychological, and psychiatric care.\n(4) Any person who has consented to a child's voluntary commitment may request the\nrelease of the child in writi ng addressed to the cabinet. The cabinet shall within ten\n(10) days release the child, or, if in the opinion of the cabinet it would be in the best\ninterest of the child to remain in the custody of the cabinet, a petition shall be filed\nin the court of the  county of residence of the child as provided in KRS 620.030 to\n620.050.\n(5) If, following a hearing on the matter, the court determines that the child can no\nlonger benefit from those services offered by the cabinet or that the parent,\nguardian, or other person having legal custody of the child is capable of providing\nproper care, the child may be returned at once to the care of his parent, guardian, or\nother person having legal custody of the child or to another person mutually agreed\nupon.\n(6) Any parent , guardian, or other person having legal custody of a child who has\nconsented to the child's voluntary commitment to the cabinet shall be entitled to\nparticipate in treatment planning for the child for the pendency of the commitment.","path":["KRS Chapter 620"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=20206","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:08Z","sha256":"0bbd8ecef9187dd697195b939e24b3094d91405af1d7e405ecd4c3d734c848e0","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-620.160","next":"us-ky/krs-620.180"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}