French Code of civil procedure

The public prosecutor may obtain any information he or she deems useful about the minor’s family situation and the morality of his or her parents.

For the duration of the proceedings, the court or judge may order any provisional measure relating to the exercise of parental authority.

The court or judge shall hear the parents, the guardian, the person or representative of the service to whom the child has been entrusted, and any person whose hearing it deems useful. In cases where the parents have disappeared, the court or judge may order a search to be carried out in the interests of the families; in this case, it shall stay the decision for a period not exceeding…

The file may be consulted at the court registry, up until the day before the hearing, by the applicant, the parents, the guardian, the person or service to whom the child has been entrusted or their lawyers if they are assisted or represented. The lawyer may obtain copies of all or part of the documents in the case file for the exclusive use of the proceedings. He may not communicate…

The case is heard and judged in chambers after the opinion of the public prosecutor. The procedure is oral.

The decisions of the judge or court are notified by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, within eight days, to the applicant, the parents, guardian, person or service to whom the child has been entrusted or the delegated third party. The judge or court may, however, decide that notification will be made by bailiff’s deed, where appropriate, at the registry’s behest, or by administrative means. In all cases, notice of…

The court hearing an application for a judicial declaration of parental abandonment shall rule in the same form and by the same judgment on the delegation of the exercise of parental authority.

The decisions of the judge or the court may be appealed by: 1° The persons to whom the judgment has been notified until the expiry of a period of fifteen days following the notification given to them; 2° The public prosecutor until the expiry of a period of fifteen days following the delivery of the notice given to him.

For applications for delegation of parental authority, the appeal is lodged in accordance with the rules laid down in articles 931 to 934. The court clerk shall notify, by simple letter, the persons and department to whom the decision has been notified and who have not themselves lodged the appeal and shall inform them that they will subsequently be summoned to appear before the court. The appeal shall be heard…

For applications for total and partial withdrawal of parental authority and for a judicial declaration of relinquishment of parental authority, the appeal is lodged in accordance with the rules of compulsory representation.