NCJ Number
202435
Date Published
2003
Length
300 pages
Annotation
This report presents an overview of the developments, emerging trends, and promising practices of the Child Victims Act Model Courts Project.
Abstract
Model courts represent an experiment for implementing and evaluating changes to law and/or court procedures that are thought to enhance the process of justice. As the Child Victims Act Model Courts Project expanded into a national effort, several principles have been identified as best practices for the effective handling of child abuse and neglect cases; these principles are identified and the Key Principles of Permanency Planning are described. The goal of the report is to present a profile of each of the 23 model courts during September 2001 and September 2002. Following this introduction in chapter 1, chapter 2 turns to a discussion of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) Judicial training and technical assistance in permanency planning, through which emerged many projects and initiatives around the country focusing on permanency as the goal in child abuse and neglect cases. Chapter 3 presents the Child Victims Act model courts’ profiles, which represent snapshot pictures of specific model court reform efforts during the reporting period. Each profile includes a history of the model court that outlines its structure, leadership, collaboratives, advisory groups, committees, and best practices; a synopsis of model court goals for 2002 and 2003; court and agency demographics; and child abuse and neglect case processing times. Profiles are presented in alphabetical order by city. Chapter 4 provides three matrices that offer an organizational and practical comparative overview of model courts. The first matrix compares differing court structures that operate across the model courts, while the second matrix compares differing models of representations across the model courts. The third matrix provides a comparison of the alternative dispute resolution methods available to model courts, which include settlement conferences, mediation, and family group conferencing. Chapter 5 presents materials from the September 18 through 20, 2002, All-Sites Meeting, which was held in San Antonio, TX. The meeting was highly interactive and allowed key stakeholders to come together to renew their commitment and share information about best practices. Finally, the report offers a glossary of terms used throughout the report. Tables