Care & Protection of Lillian

The children’s mother filed a petition pursuant to G. L. c. 211, § 3, challenging a Juvenile Court judge’s denial of her motion to dismiss an emergency care and protection petition. A single justice of this court reserved and reported this matter *334to the full court to consider two issues concerning the operation of G. L. c. 119, § 24, the statutory provision that permits a judge temporarily to transfer custody of a child to the Department of Social Services (department) in an emergency: (1) the sufficiency of a petition for care and protection; and (2) whether further proceedings for temporary…