1 Seventh Annual National Citizen Review Panel Conference: The River Rushes On May 22, 2008 Minnesota’s “Children’s Justice Initiative” (CJI): Statewide.

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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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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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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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CJI teams have been formed in all 87 counties

“Decision-makers” and “line staff” represented at on every county team

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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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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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Up to 15 members of each team attended a two-day, statewide Kickoff Conference

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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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Technical AssistanceCross-systems TrainingStakeholder ChecklistsJuvenile Protection

RulesJudges BenchbookModel OrdersWebsite Newsletter

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Rule 2

“If you do what you’ve always done,

You’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

Anonymous

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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%

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Rule 5

“Courage is being scared – saddle up anyway.”

John Wayne

Quality Assurance

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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

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Rule 6

When you come to the fork in the road, take it.

Yogi Berra

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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Questions?

1 Seventh Annual National Citizen Review Panel Conference: The River Rushes On May 22, 2008 Minnesota’s “Children’s Justice Initiative” (CJI): Statewide.

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