Seen, Heard, and Engaged: Children in Dependency Court Hearings

This technical assistance bulletin was designed to provide information, guidance, and aspirational practice recommendations to dependency courts and dependency court judges with regard to bringing children to court for hearings related to their own dependency cases. It is the policy of the NCJFCJ that children of all ages be brought to court, unless the judge decides it is not safe or appropriate based on information provided by case participants. This technical assistance brief includes information on best practice support for bringing children to court, the legal framework supporting children’s attendance at and participation in hearings, and the appendices provide concrete tools which will enable courts to successfully engage children of all ages in the hearing process.