This guide is intended as a resource guide for judges and legal partners with involvement in the children’s dependency court system. Judges are responsible for critical legal decisions concerning the permanency, safety and well being…
The role of the juvenile drug treatment court judge is unique. Juvenile drug treatment court judges must balance the role of team leader with their role as the “face” of the juvenile drug treatment court…
The NCJFCJ’s annual training for dependency court judges, the Child Abuse and Neglect Institute (CANI), provides instruction for new or experienced judges on the knowledge and skills necessary to preside over an effective child abuse…
In 2007, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, in partnership with Casey Family Programs, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention began the Courts Catalyzing Change: Achieving Equity and Fairness…
While the need for supervised visitation and exchange for victims of domestic violence and their children had long been recognized, the Safe Havens Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Program (Safe Havens Program) provided a key…
The zero tolerance policies that were adopted by many local and state education agencies in the 1990s had the unintended effect of unnecessarily introducing low-risk youth to the juvenile justice system for disruptive behaviors that…
All Juvenile Drug Courts (JDCs) need a process for determining how youth will get referred for consideration as participants and which youth will ultimately be accepted into the JDC program. There is no set of…
Understanding our roles and responsibilities is essential if a juvenile drug court (JDC) team wishes to reach a collaborative advantage! Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts discusses formal and informal roles for core JDC…
Alcohol is the most widely abused substance among America’s adolescents and its toll on youth, their families and communities is serious. There are a myriad of reasons that teens decide to drink (e.g., self-medicating, mental…
Juvenile Drug Courts (JDCs) often face important decisions when developing or revising their programs. These decisions affect JDC practices and can have far reaching implications for JDC youth. In this series, titled Seven Deadly Sins…
This model order is a tool designed to assist judges in drafting orders for the appointment of custody evaluators, particularly in cases where domestic violence is an issue. The order and companion commentary guide a…
Publication Improves Court Practice in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) has announced the release of the Enhanced version of the Resource Guidelines to improve court practice in child abuse…