Enhanced Resource Guidelines (ERG) Podcast: Uncontested Adjudication and Dispositional Hearings: Ensuring Timely and Complete Hearings

Judge Aurora Martinez Jones joins the podcast to discuss uncontested adjudication and dispositional hearings. The key take aways of the episode are:

1) Understanding the purpose of the timely, careful, and complete adjudication and disposition hearings and how this is a demonstration of judicial leadership

2) Overview of why it is essential that the court’s findings accurately record the reason for state intervention when petitions are uncontested

3) Understanding of the importance of courts findings, the need to move to immediate disposition and the impact of findings on subsequent planning

4) Understanding that the court’s key decisions are determining if a child must be placed away from home and the importance of stating the permanency and concurrent plans for the child at this stage

5) Overview of the required ICWA inquire as to whether the child or parents may be of Native American Heritage.