Judicial

Child Safety Guide – Bench Cards

Child Safety: A Guide for Judges and Attorneys was written by Therese Roe Lund, MSSW with the National Resource Center for Child Protective Services and Jennifer Renne, JD, with the National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues with support … Read More

My Community Cares – Transforming Child Welfare Systems

How does My Community Cares in Louisiana build strong neighborhoods that keep families together? My Community Cares (MCC) is a community-driven approach that strives to bring together community members and agencies committed to a shared vision of promoting child and … Read More

Native American Heritage Month – ICWA

During Native American Heritage Month, we hope you will join us in celebrating ICWA’s legacy of keeping Native children safe, healthy, and connected to their families, communities, and cultures by learning more about allyship, active efforts, and building effective tribal-state … Read More

Child Safety Guide Cover

Safety Guide: A Guide for Judges and Attorneys

The purpose of this Guide is to provide judges and attorneys with a practical summary about child safety so they can: Evaluate whether agency recommendations regarding child safety are based on sufficient information; Recognize recommendations that follow logical reasoning and … Read More

QRTP Cover Page

NEW Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) Louisiana Judicial Toolkit

The Court Improvement Program of the Louisiana Supreme Court and Pelican Center for Children and Families is pleased to introduce the Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) Louisiana Judicial Toolkit. QRTPs are a key component of the Family First Prevention Services … Read More

Compendium Brief Cover

How Legal Professionals Can Use the Compendium of Measures and Data Sources: Understanding Judicial Decision-Making and Hearing Quality in Child Welfare

This two-page overview<https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/how-legal-professionals-can-use-compendium-measures-and-data-sources-understanding> highlights a new resource legal professionals can use in child welfare court improvement work: the “Compendium of Measures and Data Sources: Understanding Judicial Decision-Making and Hearing Quality in Child Welfare” (Compendium)<https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/compendium-measures-and-data-sources-understanding-judicial-decision-making-and-hearing>. It explains the Compendium and its … Read More

Conceptual Model of Judicial Decision-Making and Hearing Quality in Child Welfare

This new brief presents a conceptual model that shows how aspects of the child welfare court process relate to case outcomes for children and families. This model can help researchers, practitioners, and policymakers better understand the child welfare court process … Read More

Compendium of Measures and Data Sources: Understanding Judicial Decision-Making and Hearing Quality in Child Welfare

Understanding Judicial Decision-Making and Hearing Quality in ChildWelfare The child welfare court process is intended to help protect abused and neglected children, encourage family stability, support child well-being, and provide children who enter the foster care system with a safe … Read More

Determining the Best Interests of the Child

Courts make a variety of decisions that affect children, including placement and custody determinations, safety and permanency planning, and proceedings for termination of parental rights. Whenever a court makes such a determination, judges must weigh whether the decision will be … Read More

Family

Why Relative Placement Is Best for a Child in Need of Care

While a foster home can care for a child, there are often many relatives willing to step up, and there is no comparison to the benefits of a family’s love and connection. By Avery Alexson Guidry Child in Need of … Read More