Juvenile Filings Guidance
Iowa Rule of Electronic Procedure 16.805 requires that certain types of filings known as “social records”—see Iowa Code section 232.2(31)—be filed using an EDMS document type that matches the type of document being filed. For example, a social investigation report, permanency report, or predisposition report should be filed as such. If there is no matching document type, a filer should select “SOCIAL RECORD OTHER” and enter the name of the report or document as well as the date it was created in the “Additional Text” field when filing the document. Furthermore:
- Regardless of EDMS Document Type, when filing reports, include the date of the report in the “Additional Text” field when filing the document for the convenience of all case participants.
- Filers are encouraged to label all reports at the top of the first page of the report. For example, a child abuse assessment report should have a line at the top of the first page reading: “Child Abuse Assessment Report.” This will assist clerks of court and case participants in identifying specific types of reports.
- When filing a document as a proposed exhibit, ensure that the first page of the filing identifies the exhibit number or letter, either with a filled-out exhibit sticker or text specifically identifying the exhibit number or letter of the document.
Below is an example of how to file a social investigation report in EDMS:
The Iowa Judicial Branch has created a chart that includes common types of filings in juvenile cases and provides guidance on whether the filing is a social record or proposed exhibit, the document security level of the document once it has been filed, and the appropriate EDMS document type to use when filing the document.