NC Court Improvement Conference
April 8 and 9, 2010
Child Safety and Court Proceedings
Timothy Travis and Therese Roe Lund MSSW, author of the Child Safety: A Guide for Judges and Attorneys will present a comprehensive approach to child safety decision making. This presentation will describe basic concepts and information needed to inform the child safety decision making process. The presenters will then outline the framework proposed in the guide for assessing and making findings about reasonable efforts, standards that must be met before a child can be returned, and checklists to assist judges in making reunification decisions. Finally, they will highlight issues to consider prior to terminating jurisdiction.
Adoption Assistance
Deana Fleming and Angie Stephenson will review the new legislation about adoption assistance. Tom Smith, the NC Division of Social Services adoption assistance specialist, will also be present to answer any additional questions about adoption assistance.
Demystifying Psychological Assessments
What is the difference between a psychological evaluation, a psychiatric evaluation, a mental health assessment, and other mental health tools? What are the different kinds of psychological evaluations, how are they conducted, and when should courts rely upon them? What kinds of questions can you answer with a psychological evaluation? How can you tell if you have a quality evaluation? Jennifer Brobst, JD, will be here to answer these and other confusing questions about psychological evaluations.
Turning a Juvenile Case into a Chapter 50 Custody Case
Janet Mason and The Honorable Beth Keever will focus on the rationale and procedures for terminating jurisdiction in an abuse, neglect, or dependency case, and simultaneously entering or modifying a civil custody order in a Chapter 50 custody action. Participants will review several scenarios and discuss whether conversion to a civil custody action is possible and appropriate.
JWise
Over the past year Guardian Ad Litem, Clerks, CIP Directors, and Family Court Administrators have updated this important record keeping system. Many questions about the operation and use of JWise have been asked. In this session Faith Taylor will answer these frequently asked questions (FAQ), by providing hands on learning.
A Full and Candid account: Video testimony in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases
Research shows that a child victim may suffer great emotional trauma during court proceedings. A Child's counsel considers many factors and options in preparation for testimony. One option in these cases is video testimony. The Honorable Kim Taylor will provide an overview of the legislation about video testimony in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases. In addition information about requesting video technology from the NCAOC will be provided.
Take a Walk in my Shoes: Ethical Decision Making
Judges, parent attorneys, Guardian Ad Litem attorney advocates, and Child Welfare attorneys work in a collaborative process to ensure abuse, neglect, and dependency cases progress through the court system. However, each of these professionals encounters situations that require ethical decision making. This session will present scenarios that require ethical decision making and ask the audience to vote on the response they would choose. A discussion of the legal code of ethics will follow each scenario.
To the Court of Appeals & Back: Deciphering Cases on Remand
Remands occur in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases on a very infrequent basis. However, there are ways to avoid any additional delays when a remand does occur. This session, led by Court of Appeals Judge Ann Marie Calabria, will discuss how district courts can handle remands in the most efficient and expedient manner.