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BGB § 1632 — Herausgabe des Kindes; Bestimmung des Umgangs; Verbleibensanordnung bei Familienpflege (verbatim)

Jurisdiction: Germany · Citation: Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch § 1632 · Authoritative source: gesetze-im-internet.de — § 1632 BGB

The child-handover and foster-placement provision in German family law. § 1632 BGB establishes (a) parents' right to demand the child's handover where the child is wrongfully withheld, (b) the right to determine the child's contact with third parties, © Familiengericht jurisdiction over disputes under (a) and (b), and (d) the Verbleibensanordnung (continued-stay order) where the child is in foster care and the welfare assessment supports continued placement.

§ 1632 (4) is doctrinally significant in PA litigation because the Verbleibensanordnung operates as a child-protection tool in cases where extreme sustained alienating conduct has resulted in the child being placed in foster care — a structural endpoint of the § 1666 Kindeswohlgefährdung graduated framework. The Verbleibensanordnung is also one of the § 158 FamFG mandatory-Verfahrensbeistand triggers.

Verbatim text (current consolidated)

§ 1632 BGB — Herausgabe des Kindes; Bestimmung des Umgangs; Verbleibensanordnung bei Familienpflege

(1) Die Personensorge umfasst das Recht, die Herausgabe des Kindes von jedem zu verlangen, der es den Eltern oder einem Elternteil widerrechtlich vorenthält.

(2) Die Personensorge umfasst ferner das Recht, den Umgang des Kindes auch mit Wirkung für und gegen Dritte zu bestimmen.

(3) Über Streitigkeiten, die eine Angelegenheit nach Absatz 1 oder 2 betreffen, entscheidet das Familiengericht auf Antrag eines Elternteils.

(4) Lebt das Kind seit längerer Zeit in Familienpflege und wollen die Eltern das Kind von der Pflegeperson wegnehmen, so kann das Familiengericht von Amts wegen oder auf Antrag der Pflegeperson anordnen, dass das Kind bei der Pflegeperson verbleibt, wenn und solange das Kindeswohl durch die Wegnahme gefährdet würde. Das Familiengericht kann in Verfahren nach Satz 1 von Amts wegen oder auf Antrag der Pflegeperson zusätzlich anordnen, dass der Verbleib bei der Pflegeperson auf Dauer ist, wenn

  1. sich innerhalb eines im Hinblick auf die Entwicklung des Kindes vertretbaren Zeitraums trotz angebotener geeigneter Beratungs- und Unterstützungsmaßnahmen die Erziehungsverhältnisse bei den Eltern nicht nachhaltig verbessert haben und eine derartige Verbesserung mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit auch zukünftig nicht zu erwarten ist und

  2. die Anordnung zum Wohl des Kindes erforderlich ist.

English working translation

§ 1632 BGB — Handover of the child; determination of contact; continued-stay order in family foster care

(1) Personal-care responsibility comprises the right to demand the child's handover from anyone who wrongfully withholds the child from the parents or one of them.

(2) Personal-care responsibility further comprises the right to determine the child's contact, including with effect for and against third parties.

(3) Over disputes concerning a matter under paragraph 1 or 2, the Familiengericht decides on the application of one of the parents.

(4) Where the child has been in family foster care for some considerable time and the parents wish to take the child away from the foster carer, the Familiengericht may, of its own motion or on application of the foster carer, order that the child remain with the foster carer where and so long as the child's welfare would be endangered by removal. The Familiengericht may, in proceedings under sentence 1, additionally order, of its own motion or on application of the foster carer, that the stay with the foster carer is to be permanent, where

  1. within a period reasonable having regard to the development of the child, the parental-care conditions have, despite suitable counselling and support measures offered, not substantially improved, and such an improvement is with high probability also not to be expected in future, and

  2. the order is necessary for the welfare of the child.

Why this matters for PA

  • Subsection (1) — Herausgabeanspruch. The parents have a statutory right to demand the child's handover from anyone wrongfully withholding the child. This is doctrinally significant in PA-pattern cases involving cross-border or grand-parental retention: where an alienating parent's extended family is wrongfully retaining the child, § 1632 (1) provides the parents' (or targeted parent's) statutory right of demand.
  • Subsection (2) — third-party-contact determination. The personal-care responsibility includes determining the child's contact even with effect for and against third parties. This is the structural underpinning of restrictions on contact with extended family or new partners of the resident parent — an important tool where extended-family or new-partner conduct is part of the alienating pattern.
  • Subsection (3) — Familiengericht jurisdiction. Disputes under (1) and (2) are determined by the Familiengericht on application of one of the parents. This is the procedural anchor.
  • Subsection (4) Satz 1 — Verbleibensanordnung. Where the child has been in foster care for some considerable time and the parents wish to remove the child, the Familiengericht may order continued stay where removal would endanger welfare. The phrase wenn und solange establishes the temporal-conditional nature of the order — it operates while the welfare-jeopardy condition continues.
  • Subsection (4) Satz 2 — Dauerverbleib (permanent stay). The court can additionally order permanent continued stay where two conditions are met:
  • Parental-care conditions have not nachhaltig (sustainably) improved within a vertretbaren Zeitraum (reasonable period) despite Beratungs- und Unterstützungsmaßnahmen (counselling and support measures), and improvement is with high probability not expected
  • The order is necessary for the welfare of the child
  • Doctrinal significance in PA cases. Where extreme sustained alienating conduct has resulted in the child being placed in foster care under § 1666, § 1632 (4) provides the framework for both temporary continued stay (Satz 1) and permanent continued stay (Satz 2). The Satz 2 conditions are deliberately stringent: continuous engagement with parental-improvement measures must be attempted, and the assessment must conclude that improvement is not expected. This protects parents — including those who have engaged in alienating conduct — from premature loss of the child to foster care, while protecting the child where the welfare assessment supports permanent placement.

Procedural application

  • Proceedings under § 1632 (4) are governed by FamFG
  • The Familiengericht acts on application of the foster carer or of its own motion — the latter is procedurally important because it does not depend on the foster carer initiating the application
  • The § 158 (2) Nr. 3 Verfahrensbeistand is mandatory in Verbleibensanordnung proceedings under § 1632 (4)
  • The § 163 Sachverständigengutachten is the principal evidential pathway for the welfare assessment underlying both the Satz 1 and Satz 2 findings
  • The Jugendamt provides structural input on the parental-improvement measures and their outcomes

Use in alienating-conduct cases

  • The principal application is at the extreme end of the sustained-PA spectrum: cases where the child has been removed from the alienating parent's care under § 1666 measures and placed in foster care, and the alienating parent (now seeking to recover the child) has not engaged with rehabilitative measures
  • The Satz 2 Dauerverbleib requires the welfare-assessment professional to give evidence on parental engagement with the offered counselling and support measures
  • Where the alienating parent has engaged with § 156 Beratung measures sincerely and demonstrated sustained behavioural change, the Satz 2 conditions are not met and the temporary Satz 1 order remains operative
  • Where the alienating parent has refused engagement or engaged superficially, Satz 2 Dauerverbleib becomes available

Cross-reference

Sources & authoritative references

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