Working with the Courts in Child Protection-User Manual

Working with the Courts in Child Protection-User Manual


The Honorable William G. Jones
2006
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Administration on Children, Youth and Families
ChildrenÊs Bureau
Office on Child Abuse and Neglect


Table of Contents
PREFACE
......................................................................................................................................................
1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
.......................................................................................................................
3
1.
PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW
.......................................................................................................
5
2.
THE COURT SYSTEM AND CHILD PROTECTION
................................................................
7
Jurisdiction
.....................................................................................................................................
7
Juvenile Court
.................................................................................................................................
7
Specialized Courts
...........................................................................................................................
8
Powers of the Court
......................................................................................................................
10
The Rights of Parents and Children in Child Maltreatment Cases
.................................................
13
3.
THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN CHILD MALTREATMENT LEGISLATION AND
CASEWORKER PRACTICE
.......................................................................................................
17
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
............................................................................
17
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
............................................................................
19
The Indian Child Welfare Act
.......................................................................................................
19
The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act
...........................................................................
19
The Adoption and Safe Families Act
..............................................................................................
20
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.
.................................................................
21
4.
THE JUVENILE COURT PROCESS
.........................................................................................
23
The Petition for Removal
..............................................................................................................
23
The Initial Hearing
.......................................................................................................................
26
Pretrial Conferences
......................................................................................................................
28
Discovery
......................................................................................................................................
29
The Adjudication Hearing
.............................................................................................................
29
The Disposition Hearing
...............................................................................................................
30
Review Hearings
...........................................................................................................................
32
Working with the Courts in Child Protection i
The Permanency Hearing..............................................................................................................33
Termination of Parental Rights .....................................................................................................34
Adoptions .....................................................................................................................................37
Appeals .........................................................................................................................................39
5. THE CRIMINAL COURT PROCESS ........................................................................................ 41
Arrest, Bail, and Other Conditions of Release ...............................................................................41
Preliminary Hearings ....................................................................................................................42
Discovery ......................................................................................................................................42
Plea Bargaining .............................................................................................................................42
Trial ..............................................................................................................................................42
6. DOMESTIC RELATIONS CASES AND OTHER COURT PROCEEDINGS .......................... 45
Custody and Divorce Hearings .....................................................................................................45
Domestic Violence Hearings.........................................................................................................48
Mental Health Hearings................................................................................................................49
Confidentiality of Court Records..................................................................................................51
Suits Against Child Protective Services Caseworkers and Agencies ................................................51
Class Actions Against Agencies......................................................................................................51
7. GOING TO COURT ................................................................................................................... 53
The Rules of Evidence...................................................................................................................53
Expert Testimony..........................................................................................................................55
Court Reports ..............................................................................................................................55
Testifying ......................................................................................................................................55
Ex Parte Communications.............................................................................................................57
Children’s Testimony.....................................................................................................................57
Judges’ Expectations of Child Protective Services Caseworkers ......................................................61
8. WORKING WITH THE COURTS............................................................................................. 65
Understanding Judges ...................................................................................................................65
What Caseworkers Can Do To Effect Change in the Court ..........................................................66
9. COURT IMPROVEMENT AND BEST PRACTICES................................................................71
Child and Family Services Reviews and the Courts .......................................................................71
Best Practices ................................................................................................................................74
Judicial Leadership........................................................................................................................76
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................78
ENDNOTES ......................................................................................................................................... 79
ii
Table of Contents
APPENDICES:
APPENDIX AGLOSSARY OFTERMS
...................................................................................
83
APPENDIX BRESOURCE LISTINGS OF SELECTED NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
CONCERNED WITH CHILD MALTREATMENT
...................................................................
91
APPENDIX CSTATE TELEPHONE NUMBERS FOR REPORTING CHILD ABUSE
........
99
APPENDIX DGUIDELINES FOR CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES CASEWORKERS
FOR PERMANENCY AND REVIEW HEARINGS
..................................................................
101
APPENDIX ELEGAL AND JUDICIAL ISSUES SUGGESTED BY THE CHILD AND
FAMILY SERVICES REVIEW PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
............................................
111
Working with the Courts in Child Protection iii

Preface
Each day, the safety and well-being of children across the Nation are threatened by child abuse and neglect. Intervening eff ectively in the lives of these children and their families is not the sole responsibility of a single agency or professional group, but a shared community concern. Th e Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual Series has provided guidance on child protection to hundreds of thousands of multidisciplinary professionals and concerned community members since the late 1970s. Th e User Manual Series provides a foundation for understanding child maltreatment and the roles and responsibilities of various practitioners in its prevention, identification, investigation, assessment, and treatment. Through the years, the manuals have served as valuable resources for building knowledge, promoting effective practices, and enhancing community collaboration.
Since the last update of the User Manual Series in the early 1990s, a number of changes have occurred that dramatically affect each community’s response to child maltreatment. The changing landscape refl ects increased recognition of the complexity of issues facing parents and their children, new legislation, practice innovations, court improvements, and system reform eff orts. Significant advances in research have helped shape new directions for interventions, while ongoing evaluations show “what works.”
Th e Office on Child Abuse and Neglect within the Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has developed this third edition of the User Manual Series to reflect increased knowledge and the evolving state of practice. Th e updated and new manuals are comprehensive in scope while also succinct in presentation and easy to follow, and they address trends and concerns relevant to today’s professional.
Th is manual, Working with the Courts in Child Protection, provides a basis for understanding court processes most relevant to child abuse and neglect cases. Th e manual offers guidance and practical tips primarily for child protective services caseworkers. It also may be useful to other nonlegal professionals, such as those working in law enforcement, health care, mental health, and child advocacy, who wish to gain a better understanding of court processes.
This manual builds on information presented in other publications in the User Manual Series, particularly A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: A Foundation for Practice and Child Protective Services: A Guide for Caseworkers. Readers are encouraged to refer to other manuals relevant to their professions and interests.
Working with the Courts in Child Protection 1
User Manual Series This manual—along with the entire Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual Series—is available from Child Welfare Information Gateway. For a full list of available manuals and ordering information, contact:
                                 Child Welfare Information Gateway
                                1250 Maryland Avenue, SW Eighth Floor
                                 Washington, DC 20024
                                 Phone: (800) FYI-3366 or (703) 385-7565 Fax: (703) 385-3206
                                 E-mail: info@childwelfare.gov
    The manuals also are available online at   http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanual.cfm.

Read More at: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/courts/courts.pdf