20 innovative ideas best practices, initiatives, and model courts
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20 INNOVATIVE IDEAS
BEST PRACTICES, INITIATIVES, AND MODEL COURTS
Ideas 1 - 4 MODEL COURTS
“a court that deals with cases involving parental rights…which come before the court through either the criminal or civil process, which arise out of the substance abuse of a parent.”
- Juvenile and Family Drug Courts: An Overview (Drug Court Clearinghouse and Technical Assistance
Project at the American University, 1998)
FAMILY DEPENDENCY TREATMENT COURTS
San Diego, CAAccess to Treatment
Participants of FDTC get priority slots with a network of drug and alcohol treatment providers
County contracts with third party providers for priority placements
FAMILY DEPENDENCY TREATMENT COURTS
Family drug treatment court that focuses on families with children age three and younger
Treatment program completed in phasesCompletion of phases coincides with increased visitation
Parents prove sobriety through frequent testing Leads to more frequent visits / unsupervised visits
Parenting skills assessed by judge at each hearing Specific questions about the parent-child
relationship
OMAHA, NEBRASKA ZERO TO THREE DRUG TREATMENT
COURT
Based out of Miami-Dade County Juvenile Court
2nd and 3rd generation families involved in child protection
Partnered with Dr. & Prof. of Pediatrics and Psychiatry Focus on healing parent and child relationships
COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED INFANTS AND TODDLERS
Phase 1: Develop partnership between the judge and a local community coordinator to establish a court-community teamBuild awareness of needs of children under 3 in foster care
Complete a community needs assessment that identifies available services and gaps in services
COURT TEAMS, CONT’D
Phase 2: Provide additional services for infants and toddlers Court ordered:
Referrals for health and dental care Quality child care Behavioral & development assessments Frequent visits with parents Evidence based services
Review hearings every 30 days
Utilizes visitation to promote permanent placement with parents
COURT TEAMS, CONT’D
H.O.P.E. = Helping Organize Parents Effectively
Families with multiple cases before the court
Cases grouped together and heard together
Create a whole family plan
Whole team discusses modifications to the family plan
At each hearing assess where the family is at in all areas
BUTTE COUNTY, CALIFORNIAH.O.P.E COURTS
Ideas 5 - 9
SUPPORTING THE CASE PLAN
Oregon: Fostering Hope Initiative
The issue: A family in stress is a family more likely to end up in child welfare
The initiative:1) Build up the internal resources of the parents; and
2) Reinforce the external resources in the community to support families in need.
PLACE BASED FAMILY STRENGTHENING
Weekly community dinners at neighborhood churches & community centersClassesSocialization Supporting connections between neighbors
In-home servicesMentoringParenting skillsHealth & wellness
PLACE BASED FAMILY STRENGTHENING
Therapeutic supervised visitation program
Operates out of 3 converted housesFull apartments
visiting roomskitchens
Program phases for increased visitation
Overnight visits in the final phase
NEW JERSEYFAMILY REUNITY HOUSES
Pair parent with a seasoned foster care provider
Program is voluntary – not part of mandatory case plan
Mentor parents in parenting skills but also in building a healthy support network
Outcomes: Families more frequently reunify Children’s length of stay in foster care is reduced Fewer children return to care after reunification
WASHINGTON STATEPARENT TO PARENT MENTORING
Participants matched with a parent mentor with previous child welfare involvement
Added a class component called “Here’s the Deal”
Goals: Parents become more informed consumers of the child
welfare system and the services available; Parents move more quickly through their anger; Develop a good working relationship with their social
worker; More quickly engage in services.
WASHINGTON STATEPARENT PARTNERS PROGRAM
Collaboration between the Police Department and the Yale Child Study Center
Minimize the trauma to children at the time of the arrest of a parent: Trains police in child development Provides clinicians to work with children at the
scene of an arrest Provides treatment and follow up counseling for
children Provides ongoing consultation for police and child
welfare staff
NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUTCHILD DEVELOPMENT-COMMUNITY
POLICING
Ideas 10 - 12
SUPPORTING FOSTER PARENTS AND
RESOURCE FAMILIES
“a supported, happy foster parent is a walking billboard for other potential foster parents”
Support groups
Training opportunities
Monthly newsletter
Including foster parents input in legislative efforts and policy efforts
WASHINGTON STATE’SCHILDREN’S ADMINISTRATION FOSTER
PARENT SUPPORT & RECRUITMENT
Customer Service Training for Child Welfare Staff
Data Driven RecruitmentRetentionQuarterly reportsData on children in care vs. resource families
Rapid Improvement EventsMarketing– Communications– PSAs– Support Center
Online Training CurriculumTribal Recruitment Subcommittee
OKLAHOMABRIDGE TO THE FUTURE PROJECT
Meeting between birth parents and foster parents within 2 days of an out-of-home placement
Discussions are child-focusedOpportunity to share informationEstablish relationship of mutual respect
Similar program in Virginia – meeting within 7 days of an out-of-home placement
NEW MEXICOICEBREAKER MEETINGS
Idea 13POST PERMANENCY
Idea: Coordinate a large team of professionals and volunteers in a highly effective way
Prior to Extreme Recruitment: Social workers checked in once a month Other stakeholders were rarely in the same room
Under Extreme Recruitment:Stakeholders are in constant contactWeekly 30 minute meetings per child/caseChecklists and action items
SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURIEXTREME RECRUITMENT
Agency hired full time private investigators Sole job is to track down members of child’s biological family
Goal for each child is to identify 40-60 family members
Find two key individuals in every family:The informantThe family gem
EXTREME RECRUITMENT
Ideas 14 & 15CROSSOVER YOUTH
“Youth who have experienced maltreatment and engaged in delinquency”
- Center for Juveni le Just ice Reform, - Crossover Youth Pract ice Model
CROSSOVER YOUTH
More likely to exit care from a group home rather than with relatives or a foster family
More than twice as likely to be heavy users of public systems
Three times as likely to experience a jail stay
50 percent less likely to be consistently employed
Will earn less than half in first four years after exit
The average per-person cost of crossover youth who access public services was more than double
D . C u l h a n e , Yo u n g A d u l t O u t c o m e s o f Yo u t h
E x i t i n g D e p e n d e n t o r D e l i n q u e n t C a r e i n L A C o u n t y ( L A , C A : U n i v. o f PA , 2 0 11 )
CROSSOVER YOUTH – AS COMPARED TO YOUTH IN ONLY
DELINQUENCY OR CP
School based intervention program:
school districts ↔ child welfare ↔ probation
Determine gaps in services
Support timely transfers of records when placements and/or schools change
Provide direct service and referrals
Advocacy and collaboration
CALIFORNIAFOSTER YOUTH SERVICES
Overall objectives and outcomes:Improved academic achievement Reduced truancyReduced expulsion rates
CALIFORNIA FOSTER CARE YOUTH SERVICES
Collaboration project between child dependency and delinquency courts
Cross-over training between child welfare & probation staff
Whole family assessments – regardless of which avenue the family enters into court
One judge one family
Hold review hearings for delinquency and child welfare matters at the same time
Engage in joint case planning across cases
PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA
Ideas 16 & 17
ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING KIDS IN
FOSTER CARE
Youth ages 15-19 did a year long study of NYC’s permanency planning process
Goals: Youth to have a sense of responsibility and influence
in their own case More youth attend their hearings The best decisions made for youth and their family Turn going to court into a positive experience for
youth Improve chances of success for youth who age out of
foster care
NEW YORK CITYYOUTH JUSTICE BOARD
Created a report with 14 recommendations to improve court experiences and outcomes for kids in foster care in 3 major areas:To prepare youth to take a more active role in their cases
To create stronger partnerships between, guardians, case workers, and youth
To create a court environment that facilitates meaningful youth involvement
YOUTH JUSTICE BOARD
Quarterly print and online publication
Contributors all current or former foster care youth
Editors on staff who work one-on-one with youth in care
NEW YORKREPRESENT
REPRESENT
RISE
Ideas 18 - 20
COURTHOUSE ENVIRONMENT
Provides a space for children to be engaged in activities
Court hearings/meetings with social workers or attorneys may be more efficient without kids
Utilize staff and/or volunteers to supervise the room
CHILDREN’S WAITING ROOMS
Free Arts for Abused ChildrenPartnered to operate at 2 sites in LA County
Courthouse provides spaceFree Arts provides volunteers and art supplies during blocked dependency calendar time
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA
King County, Washington: Ellie, assigned to the Special Assault Unit in 2005
Nation’s first service dog matched full time with a county attorney’s office
Can be utilized at the interview and investigation stage of child abuse cases
Can be used to reduce stress during for children while waiting for a court hearing or while testifying
COURTHOUSE DOGS
THANKS!
WEBSITES AND RESOURCES:
Oklahoma Bridge to the Future
http://www.okbridgefamilies.com/
Courthouse Dogs
www.courthousedogs.org
Place-Based Family Strengthening
www.ctfalliance.org
Washington Parent Partners/Mentoring Program
http://pocweb.cac.washington.edu/publications/parent-engagementmentoring-models-washington-state
Fostering Hope Initiative
http://fosteringhopeinitiative.org/
Extreme Recruitment
www.adoptuskids.org
Represent
www.representmag.org
Youth Justice Board – New York 2007 Report
http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/YJBreport%20final_2007.pdf
Free Arts for Abused Children
www.freearts.org
Zero to Three Initiatives
http://www.zerotothree.org/
Crossover Youth
https://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/youth/collaboration/dualsystem.cfm
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
http://www.ncjfcj.org/
Reunity Houses – New Jersey
http://familyconnectionsnj.org/reunity.html
Rise
http://www.risemagazine.org/
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