HAWAIʻI REVISED STATUTES
HRS 587A
The Child Protective Act
A section-by-section guide to Chapter 587A
Use the official Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes for the controlling legal text.
Table of Contents
Highlighted rows identify provisions that are especially important to parents and families.
| Section | Subject |
| PART I. Short Title, Purpose, Construction, Rights, and Definitions | |
| § 587A-1 | Short title |
| § 587A-2 | Purpose; construction |
| § 587A-3 | Repealed |
| § 587A-3.1 | Rights of children in foster care |
| § 587A-3.5 | Authority to conduct criminal history record checks without consent |
| § 587A-4 | Definitions |
| PART II. Jurisdiction and Venue | |
| § 587A-5 | Jurisdiction |
| § 587A-6 | Venue |
| PART III. Safe Family Home Factors and Pre-Petition Procedures | |
| § 587A-7 | Safe family home factors |
| § 587A-7.5 | Safe family home factors; disability |
| § 587A-8 | Protective custody |
| § 587A-9 | Temporary foster custody |
| § 587A-10 | Relatives; foster placement |
| § 587A-11 | Investigation; department powers |
| PART IV. Court Proceedings, Evidence, and Orders | |
| § 587A-12 | Petition |
| § 587A-13 | Summons and service of summons |
| § 587A-14 | Notice of hearings; participation of resource family |
| § 587A-15 | Duties, rights, and liability of authorized agencies |
| § 587A-16 | Guardian ad litem |
| § 587A-17 | Court-appointed attorneys |
| § 587A-18 | Reports to be submitted by the department and authorized agencies |
| § 587A-19 | Testimony by department social worker |
| § 587A-20 | Inadmissibility of evidence in other state actions or proceedings |
| § 587A-21 | Admissibility of evidence; testimony by a child |
| § 587A-22 | Unavailability of specified privileges |
| § 587A-23 | Effect of oral orders |
| § 587A-24 | Motions to vacate or modify prior orders brought or decided upon pursuant to Rule 59, Hawaiʻi Family Court Rules |
| § 587A-25 | Conduct of hearing in child protective proceedings |
| § 587A-26 | Temporary foster custody hearing |
| § 587A-27 | Service plan |
| § 587A-28 | Return hearing |
| § 587A-29 | Show cause hearing |
| § 587A-30 | Periodic review hearing |
| § 587A-31 | Permanency hearing |
| § 587A-32 | Permanent plan |
| § 587A-33 | Termination of parental rights hearing |
| § 587A-34 | Reinstatement of parental rights |
| § 587A-35 | Retention of jurisdiction |
| § 587A-36 | Appeal |
| PART V. Miscellaneous | |
| § 587A-37 | Failure to comply with terms and conditions of an order of the court |
| § 587A-38 | Protective order |
| § 587A-39 | Notice and service of protective order |
| § 587A-40 | Court records |
| § 587A-41 | Payment for service or treatment provided to a party or for a child’s care, support, or treatment |
| § 587A-42 | Educational, medical, dental, and recreational needs |
| § 587A-43 | Child protective review panel |
Reference note: Section titles were checked against the 2025 chapter listing and Act 144 (2024), effective
Hawaii Child Protection Reform 