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  • Tribal, Arizona and Pima County officials work to reunify families

    September 05, 2022 |

    Arizona Daily Star |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Arizona

    Lawyers, tribes, state agencies, judges, social workers, and a law professor in Arizona worked together to create the Pima County Superior Court's Indian Child Welfare Act Court. Since the court is specialized, cases are processed faster, outcomes have improved, and it protects the best interests of Native American children throughout the process.

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  • No child support, no hunting: Payments up under Utah policy

    August 13, 2022 |

    NewsNation |

    Multi-Media |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Utah

    A new Utah law prevents residents who are more than $2,500 behind on child support payments from obtaining a hunting or fishing license, a strategy lawmakers say provides an incentive without legal ramifications that would affect parents' ability to care for their children in the future. Though the law only applies to a small portion of parents who owe child support, the state saw 494 individuals come into compliance after their hunting and fishing licenses were blocked, with payments increasing by nearly $2 million the year after the new law went into effect.

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  • 'You're not alone': New Summit court program helps parents reunite with children

    November 29, 2021 |

    Akron Beacon Journal |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Akron, Ohio

    Summit County, Ohio's juvenile court's Multidisciplinary Team Representation assigns a parent advocate and social worker to child-custody cases to help parents reunite with their children much more quickly than the system typically processes cases. The program has just begun in the county, helping a handful of families reunite, but a study in New York City showed the same approach reunited families 43% more often than if just an attorney were helping the family. Parents whose troubles lead to the temporary loss of their children need supports that help them get on firmer ground.

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  • A pilot program in Iowa produces encouraging results for foster kids

    October 27, 2021 |

    Street Roots |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Iowa

    By putting a priority on rescuing children from danger in their homes by reducing the danger or placing the children in relatives' care, Iowa courts have greatly reduced the traumatizing use of emergency foster care placements with strangers. The program, which began with seven judges and has since spread statewide, starts with a simple list of questions that judges or social workers ask to identify specific solutions to problems other than the default mechanism of sending children to live in foster care, which can make their emotional problems worse.

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  • He Beat Her Repeatedly. Family Court Tried to Give Him Joint Custody of Their Children.

    September 16, 2021 |

    ProPublica |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Wisconsin

    Wisconsin is a leader in the movement to treat fathers as equal caregivers and to prioritize shared custody in divorces. But this fathers' rights reform, combined with outmoded ideas about women who allege domestic violence, often forces domestic violence victims to maintain frequent communication with their abusers and to turn over their children to violent former spouses for visits. Although the shared-custody law does exempt cases of serious domestic violence, advocates say the law allows large exceptions, makes proving allegations too hard, and is overseen by courts dismissive of women's allegations.

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  • Dependency Court Programs Focus On Babies' Health

    April 29, 2021 |

    The Imprint |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Tacoma, Washington

    The Safe Babies program model trains judges to oversee foster-care cases with the goal of fixing the problems that led social workers to remove young children from their homes. Operating swiftly, so that babies do not lose precious weeks and months apart from their parents at a critical time, programs like Best For Babies in Pierce County, Washington, put teams of medical and mental health experts on a case. Nationwide, the program used in 30 states makes family reunification much more likely and rapid, with healthier parental attachments and child development.

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  • Koori hearings

    March 01, 2021 |

    The Monthly |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Australia, Melbourne

    The Marram-Ngala Ganbu program, also known as Koori Family Hearing Day, provides a child-protection specialist to support Indigenous families before family court hearings, support them in the hearing, connect them to services as needed, and ensure cases are managed in culturally appropriate ways. The hearings incorporate aspects of the family’s culture, such as their totem, and community elders can participate. About 400 families have participated in the program and an independent evaluation found that the Indigenous community believe the program gives them a voice and makes a difference for their children.

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  • Should Abusers Keep Their Guns? In These 13 States, Judges Choose.

    January 26, 2021 |

    The Trace |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States

    In four of the 13 states where judges have the power to deny domestic-violence abusers access to guns, arbitrarily applied standards lead to a patchwork of enforcement of the laws. A review of cases heard in Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, and South Dakota shows that outcomes depend more on the county in which a case is heard, or a particular judge's beliefs about guns, than on a consistent application of the laws' standards. In some cases, clear allegations of a dire threat did not win approval of a domestic protection order. In others, orders were granted without allegations that guns posed a threat.

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  • CASA program uses volunteers to advocate for kids

    January 04, 2021 |

    Knox Pages |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Mount Vernon, Ohio

    In 55 Ohio counties, judges can appoint volunteers from Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs to represent the interests of children when their families' struggles end up in court. CASA volunteers act as a judge's eyes and ears in the lives of children who are suspected of being victims of abuse or neglect, or who at least need a more stable home. They recommend placement options and treatment services. Such programs can save counties money, by replacing paid lawyers serving as guardians, and volunteers can be more attentive to children's needs.

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  • For families involved in Philly's child welfare system, this program is building a safety net

    November 12, 2020 |

    Kensington Voice |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    A pilot program within the child welfare system in Philadelphia is providing wraparound services for parents at risk of losing custody of their children. The multi-disciplinary services include an attorney, social workers, and a peer advocate in addition to services that help stabilize families such as housing, employment, and addiction treatment. Similar programs in New York City and Washington state show significant reductions of time spent by children in foster care and increased rates of reunification - saving money and reducing trauma.

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