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Events & Announcements
Conferences and other event information
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The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is
dedicated to serving
the nation's children and families by improving the courts of
juvenile and family jurisdictions.
Website...
Read NCJFCJ’s
resolutions endorsing CASA: one in support of
creating and expanding CASA/GAL programs
(64KB PDF) and the other in
support of
recruiting CASA volunteers of color.
(46 KB PDF) |
National Court Appointed Special
Advocates
What do CASA volunteers do and how did the CASA movement begin?
Read more... |
CASA/GAL "Judges' Corner" Resource Center
This
page is
designed as a resource and information center to provide judges
the tools they need to work effectively with the local CASA/GAL
program. Listings include resources for establishing or
expanding a CASA/GAL program and news of program and financial
development innovations. Read
more... |
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NCJFCJ’s Juvenile and Family Justice TODAY
features articles encouraging judges to use CASA volunteers to
promote child well-being.
Read more... |
 "The
child welfare system is very large, and it is easy for a child
to get lost in it. The CASA volunteers that my colleagues and I
have assigned have been instrumental in making sure that the
children's best interests are safeguarded to the best of
everyone's abilities."
—Immediate Past President, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court
Judges Dale R. Koch |
 “This
has been the most rewarding volunteer job that I have
ever had—because I am helping the children who need help. I love
it because I can make a positive difference in their lives.”
—Gwen Bright, CASA Volunteer, Columbia, SC |
 "As
a child, having a CASA volunteer meant having somebody that I
knew was on my side. So many times the little kid feels caught
in the middle and feels as if nobody hears what you have to
say….Having a CASA made me feel like I had somebody who was on
my team.'"
—Maleah Truelove,
Former foster youth |
ABA Center on Children and the Law
The American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law:
Improving children's lives through advances in law, justice,
knowledge, practice and public policy.
Website... |
Child Welfare Information Gateway
A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children
and Families and US Department of Health and Human Services, the
Child Welfare Information Gateway provides a wealth of
information to promote the safety, permanency and well-being of
children and families. Resources include a state statutes search
of issues related to child abuse and neglect, child welfare and
adoption and a listing of organizations that provide information
on child welfare legal issues.
Website... |
National Foster Care and Adoption
Directory
A free, searchable online directory of foster
care and adoption resources in every state, the District of
Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands. Website... |
Chief Justices and State Court
Administrators
Read an
excerpt from their joint resolution endorsing CASA |
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International Issues in Dependency Court
Cases
The era of extended family members residing in the same home
town or even the same state is over. Child welfare cases
increasingly involve interstate and international placement
options. This issue of The Judges’ Page newsletter addresses the
complex issues that face judges and other child welfare
professionals dealing with international issues in dependency
court cases.
—Judge J. Dean Lewis, Editor
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The newsletter
of The Judges' Page website - February 2008 |
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International Issues in
Dependency Court Cases
Editor J. Dean Lewis, Judge (retired),
Former Member, National CASA
Association Board of Directors and Past President, National
Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
SUMMARY - The era of
extended family members residing in the same home town
or even the same state is over. Child welfare cases
increasingly involve interstate and international
placement options.
Article... |
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Guest Editor’s Note
Julie Gilbert Rosicky, M.S., Executive Director, International Social Service-United States of America
Branch, Inc. (ISS-USA)
SUMMARY - For this issue of
The Judges’ Page, I have collected articles from some of
the top experts in the fields of child migration,
immigration, law and international social work to
present key issues that will help the courts understand
more about the issues and available resources when
making international permanency and placement decisions
in the best interests of children.
Article... |
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Where Have All Our
Children Gone? Examining Documentation Standards for
International Placement
Felicity Sackville Northcott, PhD, Director,
Arthur C. Helton Institute for the Study of
International Social Service, ISS-USA
Jamie Rae Harvey, ISS-USA Intern MSW Candidate,
University of Maryland at Baltimore School of Social
Work
SUMMARY - We must amend the
current documentation standards and identify the
weaknesses at the intersection of migration and child
welfare in order to understand the extent of the issues
surrounding international placement of children and
ultimately ensure the best interests of all children
entering and exiting the US.
Article... |
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Family Reunion and Best
Interest: Why the Two Are Not Synonymous
Jacqueline Bhabha, Jeremiah Smith Jr. Lecturer in Law,
Harvard University
SUMMARY - As a matter of
domestic and international law, there is a presumption
in favor of family unity and family reunification when
that unity has been interrupted. However, family reunion
is not always in the best interest of a child, even
absent evidence of abuse or neglect.
Article... |
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International Legal
Principles for Judges and Child Welfare Agencies to
Apply
with Unaccompanied and Undocumented Immigrant Children
Howard Davidson, JD, Director, ABA Center on Children
and the Law
SUMMARY - It is more
critical than ever to understand exactly how our current
system fails unaccompanied children from other countries
and to develop improved practices that will help prevent
such children from falling through the cracks.
Article... |
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Immigrant Parents and
the Child Welfare System: New Factors to Consider in the
Era of Globalization
Ilze Earner, PhD, LCSW, Assistant Professor,
Hunter College School of Social Work
SUMMARY - While there is no
data that indicates the exact numbers of immigrant
families and children who come into contact with the
child welfare system, those who do present service
providers with many unique challenges. Child welfare
practitioners must become equipped to work with new
migrant populations in this era of globalization.
Article... |
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Immigration Enforcement:
Considerations for Child Welfare Systems
Alan Dettlaff, PhD, MSW, Assistant Professor,
Jane Addams College of Social Work
SUMMARY - To effectively
work with immigrant families and ensure best-interest
outcomes for children, child welfare staff must be
knowledgeable about state and federal policies that
affect permanency planning and be able to navigate
systems with which child welfare has not typically
interacted.
Article... |
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Special Immigrant
Juvenile Status: An Ideal Path to Permanency for
Vulnerable Undocumented Abused, Neglected or Abandoned
Youth
Christopher Nugent, Senior Pro Bono Counsel,
Community Services Team, Holland and Knight, LLP
SUMMARY - It
is incumbent upon and imperative for all stakeholders in
the child welfare system to integrate considerations of
a child's eligibility for Special Immigrant Juvenile
Status—which enables vulnerable abused, abandoned or
neglected undocumented youth to obtain lawful permanent
residence—into their case management and adjudications.
Article... |
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Online Resources:
International Placements and the ICPC
Paula Campbell, Permanency Planning for Children
Department, NCJFCJSUMMARY
- Several
publications and websites address intercounty and
immigrant children and protective statutes to ensure
against child trafficking and illegal adoption
processes. The following website links are just some of
the resources available on international placements and
the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.
Article... |
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| Registration Open for
2008 National CASA Conference
SUMMARY - The
2008 National CASA Conference will take place June 7 –
10 in Washington, DC. More than 1,400 CASA/GAL
volunteers, judges and other child welfare professionals
will explore issues related to the current state of
abused and neglected children and learn what more can be
done to improve their lives.
Article... |
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The comments of article authors
do not necessarily reflect the policies of the National CASA
Association or the National Council of Juvenile and Family
Court Judges. |
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| Current Issue Printer-Friendly Version |
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Feb 2008 -
International Issues in Dependency Court Cases (278
KB PDF) |
| Newsletter Past Issues |
Oct 2007 -
Reasonable Efforts in the Dependency Court
(654 KB PDF)
Aug 2007 -
The Role of
Foster Parents in the Dependency Court issue (191 KB PDF)
Feb 2007 -
Children and Youth Involved in the Court Experience Issue (992
KB PDF)
Oct 2006 -
Court-CASA
Best Practices
Issue (383 KB PDF)
Jun 2006 -
Family Visitation
Issue (357 KB PDF)
Feb 2006 -
Mental Health Issue (263 KB PDF)
Oct 2005 -
Child Development and Parenting Issue (895 KB PDF)
Jun 2005 -
Educational Advocacy Issue (779 KB PDF)
Feb 2005 -
Parental Substance Abuse Issue (812 KB PDF)
Oct 2004 -
Family Violence Issue
(900 KB PDF)
July 2004 -
Foster Care Reform
Issue (187 KB PDF)
Apr 2004 -
Indian Child Welfare
Act Issue (141 KB PDF)
Dec 2003 -
Inaugural Issue
(107 KB PDF) |
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