Babies and toddlers are the most frequent victims of abuse and neglect in families, and the only ones without words. Judges in juvenile and family courts want to break the cycle of despair these children experience and give them a chance for the future. But judges need to know more about how babies and toddlers develop—a science they do not learn in law school.

They need to have available in their communities solutions for these children that are validated by research. They also need community partners who share their urgency to take advantage of opportunities for early intervention, when young children first come to the notice of courts.

A new federally funded pilot program combines judicial muscle with child development and mental health community partners so that babies and toddlers are given the attention and life-changing help they need. In each of three communities—Fort Bend County, Texas, Hattiesburg, Mississippi and Des Moines, Iowa—a judge is partnering with a child development specialist to create a team of child welfare and health professionals, child advocates and community leaders who provide services to abused and neglected infants and toddlers.

By working together, with support and training from ZERO TO THREE, these teams are developing and enacting comprehensive approaches to meet young children’s complex needs, swiftly and effectively.

National Court Teams Information-Sharing Network 
The Network includes judges, lawyers, social workers, doctors, and children’s advocates from around the country. The Network shares information about accomplishments in individual courts and strategies for providing necessary services for infants and toddlers. Electronic information briefs are posted monthly. For more information, email Daria Harlin at Daria Harlin.



Court Teams in the news: 
Judge Mike McPhail Honored as 2008 Mississippi Children’s Home Services
“Friend of Children”

In May of 2008, Mississippi Children’s Home Services honored Judge Mike McPhail, of the Forrest County Youth Court, with their “Friend of Children” award for his dedication to improving the lives of abused and neglected children.

Mississippi Children’s Home Services has served over 10,000 individuals in 2007 alone and offers a variety of programs to improve the lives of at-risk children and their families.  The agency honors Judge McPhail not only for his advocacy in the field, but also for being a true ally to the families who come before his court.

Judge McPhail has been a County and Youth Court Judge in Forrest County for over 20 years. He hears cases involving abused, neglected, and dependant children on a daily basis. In hearing these cases, his goal has always been to ensure that the child is safe and secure and, where possible, to keep the child and his or her family together.

In 2006 Judge McPhail convened the first meeting of the Forrest County Court Team for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers. The Court Team began accepting cases soon after and, since then, has built capacity and provided the necessary resources to support systemic change in the child welfare system in Hattiesburg. Data collected on the Court Team between May 2006 and December 2007 showed strong positive outcomes, including a significant increase in the services provided to eligible children and their parents, particularly in the area of health care (100% of the 22 children monitored by the Court Team had at least one pediatric visit) and developmental (Part C) screening for early intervention services (95% of the children received a full developmental assessment). Findings have also indicated reductions in the number of out-of-home placements, and an increase in parent-child visits.

Healing the Youngest Children: Model Court-Community Partnerships is the first in a series of collaborative publications put forth by the ZERO TO THREE Policy Center and the ABA Center on Children and the Law.  The brief describes the crucial role a judge plays in addressing the needs of maltreated infants and toddlers who come before their Court. Four model court-community partnerships are outlined, samples cases are discussed, and practice tips are featured for attorneys and judges interested in implementing similar projects.

The second brief in this series of publications, Visitation with Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care, explains why meaningful visits between a child in out-of-home care and his or her parents and siblings are so important for the child's subsequent development. Attachment theory is discussed, key elements of successful visitation plans are described, and suggestions for overcoming barriers are offered.  In addition, the publication stresses the judge's unique role in supporting and facilitating parent-child visits.

 

Helping Babies from the Bench: Using the Science of Early Childhood Development in Court was developed to raise awareness of the impact maltreatment has on developmental outcomes for infants and toddlers. Through the example of the Miami-Dade County, Florida juvenile court, the DVD highlights how judges can intervene on behalf of the child. Requests for copies should be directed to Daria Harlin.

Fact Sheet
Summarizes the goals and accomplishments of the Court Teams project as each community works to improve outcomes for maltreated infants, toddlers, and their families.
[ 306 KB  ]

Impact Statement
Details the Court Teams Project goals and core components.
[ 908 KB  ]

Research Summary: Children Exposed to Violence
Describes how exposure to violence affects a child’s emotional and behavioral development.
[ 58.6 KB  ]

Forming Healthy Attachments for Our Most Vulnerable Popluation
Summarizes the research done on child abuse and the negative impact maltreatment has on the developing brain and introduces the Court Teams Project components as a strategy for systems change.
[ 552 KB  ]

Ensuring the Healthy Development of Infants in Foster Care: A Guide for Judges, Advocates and Child Welfare Professionals
Offers guidelines for child advocates on ensuring healthy infant development and addressing the developmental and emotional needs of infants and their caregivers.
[ 6.69 MB  ]

National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being
Reports a wide range of health data on children who were the subjects of child maltreatment investigations.

The Judges' Page Newsletter
Offers a variety of resources and articles on children and families in the judicial system.

Research Support for Concurrent Planning
Evaluates the evidence surrounding concurrent planning.
[ 155 KB  ]

Effects of Foster Care on Infant Attachment
Re-examines attachment theory and research on infant-caregiver separation in order to promote informed permanency decisions for children in foster care.
[ 155 KB  ]

Parenting In Dependency Drug Court
Describes the development of an evidence-based parenting program designed to address the specific needs of families with substance abuse issues. 
[ 119 KB  ]

Mental Health Assessments for Infants and Toddlers
Inspects the concept of infant mental health and describes the process of infant mental health assessment as well as the challenges associated with it.
[ 85.6 KB  ]

The Expressway to Permanency: Facilitating Family Visitation
Outlines the basic elements of a family interaction plan and its role in facilitating successful family visitation.
[ 2.96 MB  ]

Healing the Child in Juvenile Court: The Infant Mental Health Approach
Discusses research done on the effects of child maltreatment while stressing steps that the Juvenile Court can take to increase positive outcomes for maltreated infants and toddlers and their families.
[ 7.04 MB  ]