Author Archives: Susan Shaffette

Family Treatment Courts Best Practice Standards

Best Practice Standards: Ensuring ‘Equity and Inclusion’ in Family Treatment Courts

The Family Treatment Court Best Practice Standards (BPS) provide local jurisdictions, states, tribes, and funders with clear practice guidance; the goal is to improve outcomes for children, parents, and families affected by SUDs and involved in child welfare. While all … Read More

Judges Action Alert Feb 2021

Judge’s Action Alert: Supporting Early Legal Advocacy Before Court Involvement in Child Welfare Cases

This Judge’s Action Alert highlights:  the reasons for providing legal advocacy early in a child welfare case before court involvement,  roles legal advocates play when appointed before court involvement in a case,  benefits of early, precourt legal advocacy,  how early, precourt legal … Read More

Seeing Whats Underneath

Seeing What’s Underneath: A Resource for Understanding Behavior and Using Language in Juvenile Court

Juvenile court can be a stressful environment— for everyone. But for court-involved youth, it can also be embarrassing, confusing, and traumatic. Youth may fail to meet adults’ expectations to be respectful and compliant or to show empathy and remorse. Youth … Read More

Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Courts: A Tool for Improving Outcomes for American Indian Children and Families

The St. Louis County Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Court in Duluth, Minnesota, currently led by Judge Sally Tarnowski, is a dedicated docket of child welfare hearings involving Indian children as confirmed or presumed by the definitions outlined in the … Read More

child abuse prevention month

Child Abuse Prevention Month Toolkit

National Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the importance of communities working together to help families thrive and prevent child maltreatment. During the month of April and throughout the year, communities are encouraged to increase awareness about child and family well-being, … Read More

Getting Down To Basics

Getting Down to Basics: Tools to Support LGBTQ Youth in Care

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people are in America’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems in disproportionate numbers. Like all young people in care, they have the right to be safe and protected. All too often, however, … Read More

Family

Utilizing Title IV-E Funds to Support High Quality Legal Representation for Children & Youth Who are in Foster Care

ACYF-CB-IM-21-06 Issued: January 14, 2021 from Children’s Bureau Memorandum from the Administration for Children and Families. The purpose of this information memorandum (IM) is to urge all state and tribal title IV-E agencies, courts, administrative offices of the courts, and … Read More

LA Supreme Court

Qualifications and Standards for Attorneys Representing Children in Need of Care

Background Since its enactment in 1974, CAPTA has required appointment of a “guardian ad litem” in “every case involving an abused or neglected child which results in a judicial proceeding.” States must meet this requirement, among others, in order to … Read More

gavel

Domestic Juvenile Sex Trafficking Bench Card

The Capacity Building Center for Courts has created a Domestic Child Sex Trafficking Judicial Desk Reference Guide.  This resource provides links and examples of how Court Improvement Programs (CIP) can implement P.L. 113-183.  Specifically, it addresses: How to form a … Read More

Workforce

Meaningful Engagement of the Legal and Judicial System for Child Welfare Workers

This PowerPoint was developed through the Louisiana Child Welfare Comprehensive Workforce Project at LSU in cooperation with the National Resource Center on Permanency and Family Engagement. Leadership has been provided by Gary Mallon, DSW. This 2012 training has been presented … Read More