(a) Generally. At any time prior to the commencement of an adjudicatory hearing, with the consent of the State's Attorney, the child, and the child's attorney, the court may hold proceedings in abeyance and order the matter referred to the Department of Juvenile Services for informal adjustment.

Committee note: Informal adjustment is a process by which the Department of Juvenile Services attempts to resolve a complaint made pursuant to Code, Courts Article, § 3-8A-10(a) without court involvement. See Code, Courts Article, § 3-8A-10(n) authorizing the court to refer a matter for informal adjustment and Code, Courts Article, § 3-8A-10(e) and (f) pertaining to the informal adjustment process.

(b) Report. No later than 30 days following an order referring a matter for informal adjustment, the Department of Juvenile Services shall provide to the court and the parties a status report regarding the progress of the child in the informal adjustment process.

(c) Disposition. At the conclusion of the informal adjustment process, the Department of Juvenile Services shall inform the court and the parties in writing or on the record whether the child successfully completed the process. If the child successfully completed the informal adjustment process, the court shall dismiss the delinquency petition. If the child did not successfully complete the informal adjustment process, the court shall resume the delinquency proceedings.

Source: This Rule is new.