Children and Families - Louisiana Supreme Court

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<h3>Children and Families Division:</h3><div class="col-md-8 text-justify"><div><p>This division of the Judicial Administrator&rsquo;s Office manages three programs:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>the Court Improvement Program (CIP)</li><li>the Court Appointed Special Advocates Assistance Program (CASA-AP)</li><li>and the Families in Need of Services Assistance Program (FINS-AP).</li></ul><p>Staff of the division work with professionals across the state to improve the child welfare and juvenile justice systems for children and families in Louisiana. This includes helping with state policy, training, and data collection. Such collaborative initiatives include:</p><ul><li>Child Protection Representation Commission</li><li>Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative</li><li>Juvenile Justice Reform Act Implementation Commission</li><li>Louisiana Child and Youth Trafficking Collaborative</li><li>Human Trafficking Prevention Commission and Advisory Board</li><li>Children&rsquo;s Law Committee</li><li>and more!</li></ul><p>This division also maintains the list of Child In Need of Care (CINC) Qualified Attorneys as well as receives reports on case processing in CINC cases and Criminal Transfer cases.&nbsp;</p><h4>Highlights of each Program:</h4><p><strong><a href="/Children_Families?p=FINS">The Families in Need of Services (FINS) Assistance Program</a></strong> administers funding for the Informal FINS Offices in 42 judicial districts and three city courts (Hammond, Morgan City and Monroe). FINS-AP, through a partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health, provides statewide opioid related trainings to state FINS Officers. These trainings strengthen the officers&rsquo; abilities to quickly identify and properly refer youth and caretakers to needed substance abuse treatment services.</p><p><strong><a href="/Children_Families?p=CASA">The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Assistance Program</a></strong> administers funding for CASA programs in 61 parishes and 41 judicial districts. There are currently seventeen CASA programs serving the state. CASA programs serve Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) eligible children through the advocacy of volunteer advocates. Closed cases result in the ability to place children in permanent homes.&nbsp; CASA programs are always seeking new volunteer advocates.&nbsp;</p><p><strong><a href="/Children_Families?p=CIP">The Court Improvement Program (CIP)</a>&nbsp;</strong>through the <a href="https://pelicancenter.org/index.html" target="_blank">Pelican Center for Children and Families</a> provides both legal and interdisciplinary training and education programs and resources designed to improve the safety, permanency, and well-being of abused and neglected children in our state. Training opportunities provide CLE hours earned by attorneys and judges. Other CIP activities include the publication and distribution of resources and toolkits including the <a href="https://pelicancenter.org/benchbook.html" target="_blank">Louisiana Child in Need of Care (CINC) Benchbook and Bench Cards for Juvenile Judges</a> to improve outcomes for children and families in Louisiana, with the child&rsquo;s safety being the paramount concern. </p><p>To prevent children from entering foster care and being involved in the court system, the CIP provides strategic support to the My Community Cares (MCC) statewide initiative that has received favorable recognition from the federal Children&rsquo;s Bureau and Casey Family Programs as an innovative community-based and neighborhood-driven approach to building strong communities that keep families safe and together. MCC provides judicial-involved collaboration, coordination, and communication around services and resources in communities to create safe and stable homes. The CIP partnered with DCFS to expand MCC to all nine regions of the state, which includes MCC sites in the following parishes with the historically highest rates of children entering foster care: Livingston Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish, Caddo Parish, Rapides Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Orleans Parish, Ouachita Parish, Lafayette Parish, and Terrebonne Parish. Through a partnership with the <a href="https://raisingthebar.org/my-community-cares/" target="_blank">Louisiana Bar Foundation</a>, in 2023, five attorneys were hired to provide civil legal services to MCC clients to support the safety and well-being of families and prevent children from entering foster care. Additionally, the CIP was recognized by Casey Family Programs through a 2023 Casey Excellence for Children Award for its investment into the implementation of MCC. For more information about MCC see: <a href="http://dcfs.louisiana.gov/page/mcc" target="_blank">http://dcfs.louisiana.gov/page/mcc</a>, the <a href="https://www.lsba.org/documents/publications/BarJournal/Journal-Aug-Sept-2022.pdf" target="_blank">Louisiana Bar Journal on MCC</a>, and the <a href="https://www.casey.org/my-community-cares/" target="_blank">Casey Family Programs article on MCC</a>.</p><p>The CIP Judicial Fellow continues to provide technical support and training to our state judges, attorneys, and DCFS partners. The CIP Peer and Equity Specialist, who is a parent with lived experience in the child welfare system, supports the implementation of the CIP Strategic Plan and its mission to lift up the voices of persons who have experience in the system and promote an equitable child welfare system.</p><p>The CIP also supports the <a href="https://clarola.org/" target="_blank">Children&rsquo;s Law Advocacy Resources Online</a> website, which provides resources for judges, attorneys, social workers, DCFS staff, CASAs, service providers, families, and more.&nbsp;</p></div><div><p><br /></p><h4>Announcements:</h4><ul><li><a href="https://pelicancenter.org/training.html" target="_blank">CIP Cafes provide monthly training for Attorneys and Judges in child welfare.&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/childrens-rights/practice/2022/what-childrens-lawyers-need-to-know-about-anti-black-racism-and-its-impact-on-families/" target="_blank">Resolution 606 addresses anti-black racism and its impact on families in child welfare.</a></li><li><a href="/Children_Families?p=2022_CIP_Updates">2022 Court Improvement Program Updates</a><br /></li></ul></div><div class="col-md-8"><p align="left"><strong>Contact:&nbsp;</strong></p><p><strong>Louisiana Supreme Court Division of Children and Families</strong><span style="white-space:pre;"> </span></p><p>Storm Ehlers<br />Deputy Judicial Administrator for Children and Families<br />400 Royal Street, Suite 1190<br />New Orleans, LA 70130-8101<span style="white-space:pre;"><br /></span>Phone: (504) 310-1661<br />Fax:&nbsp; &nbsp; (504) 310-1669<br /><a href="mailto:sehlers@lasc.org">sehlers@lasc.org</a></p><p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p></div></div><div class="col-md-4"><div class="panel panel-primary"><div class="panel-heading"><div class="panel-title">Programs</div></div><div class="panel-body"><ul><li><a href="/Children_Families?p=FINS">Families In Need of Services (FINS)</a></li><li><a href="/Children_Families?p=CASA">Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)</a></li><li><a href="/Children_Families?p=CIP">Court Improvement Program (CIP)</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="panel panel-primary"><div class="panel-heading"><div class="panel-title">Reporting for Judges</div></div><div class="panel-body"><ul><li><a href="/judicial_admin/forms/CUSTODY_OF_JUVENILE_IN_ADULT_JAIL_OR_LOCKUP_Reporting_Form.pdf" target="_blank">Custody of a Juvenile in Adult Jail or Lockup Reporting Form</a>&nbsp;(pdf)</li><li><a href="/children_families/timelinessreport.pdf" target="_blank">Report of Non-Compliance with Statutory Time Limits</a> (pdf)</li></ul></div></div><div class="panel panel-primary"><div class="panel-heading"><div class="panel-title">Quick Links</div></div><div class="panel-body"><ul><li><a href="/Children_Families?p=Qualified_Attorneys">Attorneys Representing Children</a></li><li><a href="/children_families/ATTORNEYS_QUALIFIED_TO_REPRESENT_CHILDREN.pdf" target="_blank">List of Qualified Attorneys</a></li><li><a href="/children_families/District_FINS_Directory.pdf" target="_blank">District FINS Directory</a></li><li><a href="/AnnualReports">Annual Reports</a></li><li><a href="/Children_Families?p=Training" title="2020 Training Opportunities">Training Opportunities</a><br /></li><li><a href="/Children_Families?p=Language_Access_Policy">Language Access Policy</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="panel panel-primary"><div class="panel-heading"><div class="panel-title">Court Flow Charts</div></div><div class="panel-body"><ul><li><a href="/children_families/Delinquencyflow.pdf" target="_blank">Delinquency Process</a></li><li><a href="/children_families/CINCflow.pdf" target="_blank">Child In Need of Care Process</a></li><li><a href="/children_families/FINSflow.pdf" target="_blank">Families In Need of Services Process</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="panel panel-primary"><div class="panel-heading"><div class="panel-title">Other Resources</div></div><div class="panel-body"><ul><li><a href="https://www.ncsc.org/" target="_blank">The National Center for State Courts</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ncjfcj.org/" target="_blank">National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges</a></li><li><a href="http://www.ncjj.org/" target="_blank">National Center for Juvenile Justice</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cwla.org/" target="_blank">Child Welfare League of America</a></li><li><a href="http://ojjdp.gov/" target="_blank">Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention</a></li><li><a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb" target="_blank">The Children's Bureau</a></li><li><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/groups/child_law/" target="_blank">ABA Center on Children and the Law</a></li><li><a href="http://www.naccchildlaw.org/" target="_blank">National Association of Counsel for Children</a></li><li><a href="https://clarola.org/" target="_blank">Children's Law Advocacy Resource Online (CLARO)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.pelicancenter.org/" target="_blank">Pelican Center for Children and Families</a></li><li><a href="http://www.lcwta.org/" target="_blank">Louisiana Child Welfare Training Academy </a></li></ul></div></div></div>
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