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Children and Families
-- Court Improvement Program (CIP) |
Louisiana
Court Improvement Program: Achieving
Permanency for Children
The
Louisiana Court Improvement Program, a federally funded initiative,
serves the best interests of the more than 4,000 children
who on any given day are in the Louisiana foster care system
by working with judges, court administrators and staff, attorneys,
Court Appointed Special Advocates and other child welfare
stakeholders on the successful implementation of the federal
Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 and the concomitant
Louisiana law.
Court
Improvement Program efforts focus on:
- Protecting rights
of the parties, while determining the best interests of
the child
- Avoiding unnecessary
separation of children and their families
- Reasonable efforts
to enable a child's return to the family, if removed
- When reunification
is not possible, ascertaining the availability of alternative
permanent homes for children
- Timely decision-making
at court hearings
- Providing safety
and permanence in the life of a child
- Acceptance of the
judge's leadership role
Connections for Permanency Final Report (August 2007)
Permanency
for Children Through Mediation
The
Court Improvement Program is piloting the use of mediation
in Child in Need of Care cases in Orleans Parish Juvenile
Court and Jefferson Parish Juvenile Court This pilot, the
Child Advocacy Mediation Program, is now in its third year
and has served over 100 families in two of Louisiana 's most
populous parishes. Nationwide research and data from established
mediation programs indicate that mediated cases:
- Shorten an abused
or neglected child's average length of stay in the foster
care system
- Result in greater
compliance with case plans by enhancing parents' sense of
involvement in decision-making
- Extended family
members are more likely to participate in a case
- Are more likely
to result in a permanent plan for the child that will avoid
the child's return to the foster care system
- Result in cost savings
to the entire child welfare system
"Together
We Can" Conference
The
Court Improvement Program co-sponsors with the Louisiana Department
of Social
Services/Office of Community Services a multi-disciplinary
conference each year in Lafayette . This conference examines
important issues affecting the lives of abused and neglected
children. Topics and workshops included ASFA compliance, cross-cultural
sensitivity, federal and state law updates and other relevant
issues.
Integrated
Juvenile Justice Information System-Child in Need of Care
The Court Improvement
Program is developing a web-based case management and database
information system for use by courts statewide. When completed,
this computer system will allow courts to better manage their
Child in Need of Care caseloads to ensure that permanence
is obtained for children in the most expeditious manner, while
maintaing quality outcomes for kids.
Strategic
Plan
- The Louisiana Court Improvement Program/Children's Advocacy
Resource Effort - October 1, 2002 - September 30, 2006
Model
order/judgment forms for CINC cases
Continued
custody hearing
Continued
custody order for delinquency/FINS cases
Appearance
to answer
Adjudication
Disposition
Case Review
Reunification
Adoption
Guardianship
Permanent
living arrangement
Relative
placement
Other
items of interest:
CIP
Model Local Rules
Issuing/Notice
Requirements checklist
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