Courts

Better Outcomes for Infants and Toddlers: Judicial Survey on Infants and Toddlers and the Dependency Court System, Summary of Findings Report

National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 2009

The authors of this technical assistance brief report the results of a survey to determine the extent of judges' knowledge about infant development. Topics include barriers to taking action, promising practices, and ways to expand opportunities for this population.

Child Trauma

National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 57 (1), Winter 2006

In this special issue, written in collaboration with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the authors examine child trauma as it affects both dependency and delinquency issues that come before the court. Topics include the impact of trauma on child development, pathways from child maltreatment to delinquency and the role of the family court judge, trauma-informed custody decisions, supporting children in the child welfare and juvenile court systems, trauma interventions and systems change in rural areas.

Child Trauma – II

National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 59 (4) Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 2008

This special issue, written in collaboration with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, builds on the 2006 special issue on Child Trauma. In both issues, the authors focus on the impact that trauma has on children and families, and how trauma affects the experience of children and youth who come before the court. Topics include a systems integration approach to helping children heal from trauma, a court response to children who have been traumatized, best practices, obtaining information from children, and how to maintain emotional health while working with trauma.

Common Misconceptions in Addressing Domestic Violence in Child Custody Disputes

Jaffe, P.G., Crooks, C.V., Poisson, S.E., Juvenile and Family Court Journal, Fall 2003, p. 57-68

The authors of this article address misconceptions about the extent and impact of domestic violence in child custody proceedings. Topics include gaps between the intended vision of recent legislative reforms and the reality for survivors and children, common misconceptions accompanied by interviews with mothers and practical implications and promising practices associated with each issue.

Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention: Evaluation Toolkit & Outcome Indicators (online resource)

National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention

The Evaluation Toolkit was developed to assist family support and child abuse prevention programs conduct meaningful evaluations of their services and demonstrate their effectiveness and efficiency. Components include building an evaluation plan, logic model builder, outcomes and indicators, and annotated measurement tools.

Domestic Violence Advocacy in Dependency Court: The Miami-Dade Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence Handbook

Maze, C., Aaron, S.M., Lederman, C.S., 2005

In this handbook, published by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the authors describe the development, implementation, and lessons learned by an initiative to address co-occurring domestic violence and child maltreatment in a dependency court setting. Contents include the creation of the program, a comprehensive review of daily operations and interventions, and the value of domestic violence advocacy in dependency court.

Early Intervention as Prevention: Addressing Trauma in Young Children

B. Groves, 2007
Focal Point: Research, Policy, and Practice in Children's Mental Health, 21, (1) Winter (Special Issue on Traumatic Stress/Child Welfare), p. 16-18

This issue of Focal Point is devoted to child traumatic stress, particularly as it is found among children and adolescents involved with the child welfare system, and examines current knowledge about the most effective treatments. Articles include Traumatic Stress and the Child Welfare System, Evidence-Based Treatment for Children in Child Welfare, and Early Intervention as Prevention: Addressing Trauma in Young Children.

Effectiveness of Universal School-Based Programs for the Prevention of Violent and Aggressive Behavior: A Report on Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services

Effectiveness of Universal School-Based Programs for the Prevention of Violent and Aggressive Behavior

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, (56) August 10, 2007

The authors report the recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, which in 2004-2006 conducted a systematic review of published scientific evidence and concluded that universal school-based programs decrease rates of violence and aggressive behavior among school-aged children at all levels. Topics include background, method, results, and use of the recommendations in schools and communities.

From Science to Public Policy: Court Teams for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers

Youcha, V.,Hudson, L., and Rappaport, D.M.,The Baby Monitor: Zero To Three Policy and Advocacy News, April 3, 2006

In this issue, the authors describe Court Teams for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers, a pilot project launched in three communities in 2005. Participating judges partner with a child development specialist to create a team of child welfare and health professionals, child advocates and community leaders who provide services to abused and neglected infants and toddlers.

From Time Out to Hard Time: Young Children in the Adult Criminal Justice System

M. Deitch, M., Barstow, A., Lukens, L., Reyna, R., 2009

In this report from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, the authors argue that children under the age of 12 do not belong in the adult criminal justice system, regardless of the seriousness of their offense. Topics include differences in brain function of children and adults, lack of programming for children in the adult criminal justice system, suitability of the juvenile justice system for preadolescent offenders, and recommendations for policy-makers.

Helping Children in the Child Welfare System Heal from Trauma: A Systems Integration Approach

Taylor, N., and Siegfried, C.B., 2005

The authors of this paper, published by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, examine survey data regarding the ways various service systems communicate with each other about trauma and whether they retraumatize the child or promote the child's healing following a traumatic event. They conclude that agency staff have little knowledge or training about child trauma, little awareness of evidence-based interventions, and take inadequate histories, and offer policy recommendations for each service system.

Helping St. Louis Families: A Guide for Court Professionals on the Co-Occurrence of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse/Neglect

Litton, L., 2007

In this Guide, published by the St. Louis County Greenbook Initiative, a coalition of the Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Court of St. Louis County, and other key partners, the authors analyze current policies and procedures in co-occurrence cases and ways to address existing challenges. The Guide is intended to serve as a framework to assist attorneys, judges, social service providers, and volunteers working with families in co-occurrence cases.

Helping Traumatized Children: Tips for Judges

National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2009

Children and adolescents who come into the court system frequently have experienced not only chronic abuse and neglect, but also exposure to substance abuse, domestic violence, and community violence. The authors of this brief inform judges and related personnel about the psychological, emotional, and behavioral consequences of these experiences. Topics include the effects of traumatic stress by age, assessment, choosing appropriate service providers, and references.

Helping Young Children Affected by Domestic Violence: The Role of Pediatric Health Settings

B. M. Groves and K. Fox, 2004
Series Paper #1, Early Childhood, Domestic Violence, and Poverty: Helping Young Children and Their Families, S. Schechter (Ed.), p. 17-40

The authors of this paper discuss best practice for working with young children affected by domestic violence in the pediatric health setting. Topics include research on screening in pediatric settings, mental health services as resources for pediatric providers, when to refer, characteristics of good mental health services, limitations of the current system, and policy recommendations.

Juvenile Delinquency and Serious Injury Victimization

Loeber, R., Kalb, L., Huizinga, D., Juvenile Justice Bulletin, August 2001

The authors of this bulletin focus on victims of assaults or robberies who sustained serious injuries. The longitudinal data answer the following questions: (1) what was the prevalence of victimization involving serious injury in the general population; (2) what were the proximal and distal factors associated with becoming a victim who sustained a serious injury; and (3) which risk factors or combinations of risk factors best predicted victimization involving serious injury?

OJJDP's Court Coordination Program Promotes the Delivery of Services to Children in Need

OJJDP News @ a Glance, November/December 2008

In 2005, the Court Coordination Program funded five pilot sites to hire a court coordinator to ensure that children appearing before the juvenile court receive comprehensive services. In this article, published by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the author provides a brief overview of the program, including a description of several pilot sites and an example of one child in foster care who was helped to achieve stability through the program.

RESOURCE GUIDELINES: Supporting Best Practices and Building Foundations for Innovation in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases—Looking Back and Moving Forward

Portune, L.L., Gatowski, S., Dobbin, S., 2009

First published in 1995, the focus of the RESOURCE GUIDELINES is judicial leadership in judicial reform on- and off-the-bench, and the articulation of best practices in the handling of child abuse and neglect cases. This new edition provides an overview of how the RESOURCE GUIDELINES is being used to guide court and systems reform. Topics include foundational principles for juvenile and family court judges, best practice for cross-system collaborations, and research-based evaluations of court practice and outcomes.

Risk and Protective Factors of Child Delinquency

Wasserman, G.A., Keenan, K., Tremblay, R.E., Coie, J.D., Herrenkohl, T.I., Loeber, R., Petechuk, D., Child Delinquency Bulletin Series, April 2003

The authors of this bulletin present identified risk and protective factors of child delinquency for offenders under age 13. Topics include individual risk and protective factors, family risk and protective factors, peer factors, interventions, school and community risk factors, and interventions.

Victimization and Juvenile Offending

National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2004

The authors of this report provide information about the effects that victimization has on the behavior, attitudes, and functioning of adolescents, and what can be done to mitigate its effects. Topics include rates of adolescent victimizations, relationship of child maltreatment and other victimizations to later delinquency and violence, and recomended interventions.

Victims of Violent Juvenile Crime

McCurley, C. and Snyder, H.N., Juvenile Justice Bulletin, July 2004

The authors of this report present data on victims of violent juvenile crime obtained from the National Incident-Based Reporting System for 1997 and 1998. Nineteen percent of the victims of nonfatal violent crimes were victimized by a juvenile offender, and most victims were juveniles, and nearly all victims know the offender.

When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide

Cox, H., Boburka, M., Nick, C., Ryce, C., Ryce, D., Sessions, P., Wetterling, P., 2004

The authors of this guide are parents and family members whose children have been abducted. Topics include the role of parents, law enforcement, and volunteers, the long-term search, use of the media and volunteers, and caring for parents, other children, and members of the extended family.

Primary links

Resources