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
Child Welfare
Child & Family Development Research – Fiscal Year 2020 (released 2021)
This report describes the research and evaluation activities undertaken by Division of Child and Family Development in 2020. Brief project descriptions provide an overview of the range of projects conducted by the Division during the year in early childhood research, … Read More
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
The Art of Listening Effectively
Ten important ideas to keep in mind when representing or advocating for your child and youth clients In order to build strong lawyer-client relationships with children and youth, listening is foundational and essential. To help strengthen our listening skills, here … 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
Five Resources for Lawyers Representing Transition Aged Youth
Some tips and resources to help you prepare your client to age out of the child welfare system. By Cathy Krebs – January 2021 Lawyers who represent transition-aged youth (ages 16–24) have unique challenges to ensure their clients are prepared … Read More
Trauma Caused by Separation of Children from Parents
A Tool to Help Lawyers Information is up to date as of January, 2020. Children are seriously harmed when they are separated from their parents. There has been quite a bit of research that proves that harm and outlines the specific … 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
In-Home Services to Strengthen Children and Families
Most children involved with the child welfare system are not separated from their families but instead receive services while living at home. These child welfare “in-home services” are designed to strengthen and stabilize families that come to the attention of … Read More