{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-625.080","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 625.080","heading":"Conduct of hearings.","body":"In any involuntary action for termination of parental rights:\n(1) The Circuit Court shall conduct a private hearing. An official stenographic or\nmechanical record shall be made of the proceedings and retained for a period of five\n(5) years. The court shall  make findings of fact and conclusions of law, which may\nbe made on the record, to support its judgment;\n(2) Any child to whom an involuntary action directly relates shall be made a party to\nthe action and a guardian ad litem shall be appointed to represen t the best interests\nof the child. The person appointed as a guardian ad litem shall be paid a fee not to\nexceed five hundred dollars ($500), to be paid by the Finance and Administration\nCabinet when the cabinet is the proposed custodian. When the cabinet is not the\nproposed custodian, the court may order the cost to be paid by the proposed\nadoptive parent, parents, agency, or the petitioner. Upon motion of any party, the\nchild may be permitted to be present during the proceedings and to testify if the\ncourt finds such to be in the best interests of the child. In its discretion, the Circuit\nCourt may interview the child in private, but a record of the interview shall be\nmade, which, in the discretion of the court, may be sealed to be used only by an\nappellate court;\n(3) The parents have the right to legal representation in involuntary termination actions.\nThe Circuit Court shall determine if the parent is indigent and, therefore, entitled to\ncounsel pursuant to KRS Chapter 31. If the Circuit Court so finds, t he Circuit Court\nshall inform the parent; and, upon request, if it appears reasonably necessary in the\ninterest of justice, the Circuit Court shall appoint an attorney to represent the parent\npursuant to KRS Chapter 31 to be provided or paid for by the Fin ance and\nAdministration Cabinet a fee to be set by the court and not to exceed five hundred\ndollars ($500);\n(4) If the parent is currently authorized to visit with the child, the court may continue to\npermit the parent to visit the child pending the final hearing unless it finds that\nvisitation would not be in the best interest of the child.\n(5) The hearing under this chapter shall be held within sixty (60) days of the motion by\na party or the guardian ad litem for a trial date.","path":["KRS Chapter 625"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=20257","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T21:00:09Z","sha256":"a22a004c72786078e72aae3ff38e05137033edd587d3b2c7b606f8f01cf44ff2","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-625.070","next":"us-ky/krs-625.090"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}