1 Seventh Annual National Citizen Review Panel Conference: The River Rushes On May 22, 2008...
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Transcript of 1 Seventh Annual National Citizen Review Panel Conference: The River Rushes On May 22, 2008...
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Seventh Annual National Citizen Review
Panel Conference: The River Rushes On
May 22, 2008
Minnesota’s “Children’s Justice Initiative” (CJI):
Statewide Collaboration In Action
Judith Nord, Staff AttorneyMinnesota Judicial Branch
State Court Administrators [email protected] or 651-282-3972
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Overview of Presentation
Foundational data.What is the CJI?How was the CJI
implemented statewide?
What processes and procedures were improved?
How did it improve outcomes for abused and neglected children?
Foundational Data
Population: State population over 5 million; Child population 1.3 million
Child Welfare System: State Supervised, County Administered
Court System: 87 counties organized into 10 judicial districts; only the two largest counties have judges who preside solely over child protection cases
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Children Deserve Safe, Stable, Permanent Homes
Minnesota in 2007:58,221, reports of
maltreatment20,005 reports accepted
for assessment involving 27,300 children
14,823 children spent some time in out-of-home placement – an average of 314 days
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Children Deserve Safe, Stable, Permanent Homes
5,920 child protection and 1,530 TPR petitions filed
22% of children were moved 1 time and 16.4 % were moved 2 or more times
Parental chemical health and mental health issues are underlying causes of majority of cases
Why the Need for Collaboration?
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“If the nation had deliberately designed a system that would frustrate the professionals who staff it, anger the public who finance it, and abandon the children who depend on it, it could not have done a better job than the present child-welfare system… Marginal changes will not turn this system around.”
National Commission on Children
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What is the CJI?
Overview: Collaboration between
MN Supreme Court and MN Department of Human Services
Two state agencies work with county child protection system stakeholders
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What is the CJI?
Overview (cont’d): Objective is to timely
find safe, stable, permanent homes for abused and neglected children
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What is the CJI?
CJI Mission: To ensure that, in a fair and timely manner, abused and neglected children involved in the juvenile protection court system have safe, stable, permanent families.
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What is the CJI?
Overview (cont’d): Multidisciplinary
team in each countyCollaboration at
State, District, and County levels
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How was the CJI implemented statewide?
Implemented in three phases:– 12 counties
in 2001– 15 counties
in 2002– 60 counties
in 2003
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How was the CJI implemented statewide?
Lead Judge designated in each county
Lead Judges attended an orientation meeting to learn about their role and how to form their county team
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How was the CJI implemented statewide?
All Lead Judges and the Director of each County Social Services Agency attended a Leadership Meeting
Learned about need for collaboration and respective roles
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Rule 1
“You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”
Indira Ghandi (1917-1984)Prime Minister of India
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How was the CJI implemented statewide?
CJI teams have been formed in all 87 counties
“Decision-makers” and “line staff” represented at on every county team
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How was the CJI implemented statewide?
JudgesCourt Admin.County Attys.Social ServicesGuardians ad litemParent/child
attorneysTribal Reps.Foster ParentsSchool Officials
Law EnforcementProbation/Court
ServicesService providers
from medical, chemical health, mental health, and domestic violence
County Board Reps.Legislators
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How was the CJI implemented statewide?
Judges held 2 “start up” team meetings designed to learn more about each other’s roles and responsibilities in order to do better for children and families
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How was the CJI implemented statewide?
Up to 15 members of each team attended a two-day, statewide Kickoff Conference
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How was the CJI implemented statewide?
County teams began review of the County Practice Guide during Kickoff Conference
Monthly meetings to continue review and to develop action plan to improve practices
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How was the CJI implemented statewide?
Technical AssistanceCross-systems TrainingStakeholder ChecklistsJuvenile Protection
RulesJudges BenchbookModel OrdersWebsite Newsletter
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Rule 3
“Even if you think you are on the right track,
You’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
Will Rogers
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Improved Processes and Procedures: General
Better understanding of each others’ role and responsibilities
Increased cooperationStatewide cross-
systems trainingStakeholder-specific
training
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Improved Processes and Procedures: Judges
Increased judicial oversight of cases
“No continuance” policy for hearings enforced
Orders issued in court at end of hearing
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Improved Processes and Procedures: County Attys.
Process to decide whether filing of petition is necessary (pre-petition screening)
Process for parties to gain early access to agency files to minimize disputes over discovery
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Improved Processes and Procedures: Social Services
Out-of-home placement plan filed within 30 days of removal
Front loading of services
Early engagement of parents
Increased number of adoptions
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Improved Processes and Procedures: Schools
Enhanced collaboration with social services agency
Diversion programs being implemented for truancy cases
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Improved Processes and Procedures: Tribal Reps.
Enhanced collaboration to deliver services to Indian families
Tribes involved early in decision-making
“Active efforts” requirements of ICWA are met
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Improved Processes and Procedures: Attys for Parents and Children
Early appointment and assignment of attorneys
Attorneys participate at every stage of proceedings
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Improved Processes and Procedures: Law Enforcement
Enhanced collaboration with social services agency
Joint protocols for taking children into custody
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Improved Processes and Procedures: Court Administration
Time-certain, staggered hearings
Increased hearing lengths
Orders and notice of next hearing delivered at close of hearing
Juvenile Court orientation video
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Improved Processes and Procedures: Guardians Ad Litem
GAL assigned to each case
Appears at first hearing
Reports filed and served 5 days before hearing
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Rule 4
“No matter where we are on the road, some people are ahead
of us and some people are behind us.”
Lael Winer-Cyr15-year-old Student
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Improved Outcomes for Children
CJI Core Goals and Standards
Includes Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) goals:– Safety– Permanency– Well-being– Due Process
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Improved Outcomes for Children
The rate of Guardian Ad Litem appointments improved from 55% in 2001 to 80% in 2002 to 97% in 2003
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2001 2002 2003
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Improved Outcomes for Children
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30
32
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36
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2002 2003
1 J udge2 J udges2+ J udges
An average of 2.3 judges presided over each child protection case in 2002 and 2003
We plan to reach a one-judge one-family rate
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Improved Outcomes for Children
From 2001-2003, foster care re-entries decreased 24.07%, and stability of foster care placements increased 13.43%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2001 2003
Foster care re- entries
Foster care stability
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Improved Outcomes for Children
Services to families to protect children in home and prevent removal increased from 79.31% in 2001 to 84.40% in 2003
76.00%77.00%78.00%79.00%80.00%81.00%82.00%83.00%84.00%85.00%
2001 2003
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Improved Outcomes for Children
From 2001 – 2003, placement with siblings increased 17.72% and visitation with parents and siblings in foster care inceased 18.55%
0%20%40%
60%80%
100%
2001
2003
Placement with siblings
Visitation
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Improved Outcomes for Children
0.00%
20.00%
40.00%
60.00%
80.00%
100.00%
Stability Permanecy
Children’s permanency and stability in their living situations increased from 62.50% in 2001 to 75.93% in 2003
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Improved Outcomes for Children
65.00%
70.00%
75.00%
80.00%
85.00%
90.00%
2001 2003
From 2001 to 2003, adoption rates increased 12.5% from 75% to 87.50%
Correlation Between High-Functioning Teams and Improved Outcomes for FamiliesCharacteristics of High-Functioning Team: Strong judicial leadership and support from
agency administration Broad-based membership, including
representatives from all legal disciplines and community stakeholders
Regular and substantive meetings Meaningful work plans Improved communication and court practices Observable results/outcomes
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OUTCOME PERMANENCY 1
High
Functioning CJI Teams
N= Comparison Group CJI
TeamsN=
Outcome P1: Children have permanency and stability in their living situations
87% 36 55% 33
Item 5: Foster care re-entry 81% 22 44% 21
Item 6: Stability of foster care 89% 36 84% 33
Item 7: Permanency goal for child 88% 36 71% 33
Item 8: Reunification or transfer of physical and legal custody
88% 21 75% 21
Item 9: Adoption 87% 9 70% 7
Item 10: Permanency goal of long-term foster care
100% 8 40% 9
And the River Rushes On
It’s a drop in the bucket, and a bucket in a pond,
And the pond fills the river, and the river rushes on.
Every river swells a river, until the power can’t be stopped.
And what becomes a mighty ocean, started as a drop.
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