The Third Branch
Children's Court Improvement Program update
Educational stability checklist is available for judicial officers
By Amber Peterson
A subcommittee of the Wisconsin Commission on Families, Children and the Courts has developed a checklist that highlights key educational questions judicial officers should consider before changing a child's school of origin. The checklist was created to help judges and court commissioners address the educational challenges faced by children and youth in out-of-home care. (Checklist is available here.) This subcommittee, called the Out-of-Home Care and Education Subcommittee, is comprised of several child welfare partners and includes representatives from the courts, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Public Instruction, and the Public Defender's Office.
The group developed a series of four main questions for judicial officers to ask that focus on: a child's experience at school; whether a change in placement would require a change in school; the child's wishes; and educational issues to address in the court order. By asking these questions, the intent is that judicial officers will gain a better understanding of the child's educational situation and can use that information when determining the most appropriate placement for the child.
The idea for creating this checklist began in 2009 when representatives from Wisconsin attended the Third National Judicial Leadership Summit on the Protection of Children in Austin, Texas. While at the summit, the Wisconsin team created an Action Plan and specified that one of the steps was to create a checklist to ensure that judges and court commissioners confront the most pressing concerns for children and youth in out-of-home care.
There was recently another opportunity for Wisconsin child welfare partners to focus on the educational needs of children in out-of-home care when the federal Children's Bureau and the Department of Education partnered to hold a two-day conference called Child Welfare, Education and the Courts: A Collaboration to Strengthen Educational Successes of Children and Youth in Foster Care. The conference was held Nov. 3-4 in Arlington, Va. Marathon County Court Commissioner Sandra Marcus, and Bridget Bauman from the Children's Court Improvement Program represented the court system on the Wisconsin team.
Wisconsin team attends National Convocation of Commissions
on Children
The National Center for State Courts and Casey Family Programs sponsored the National Leadership Conference of Commissions on Children Sept. 21-23 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Representing Wisconsin were Judge Shelley Gaylord, Dane County Circuit Court; Secretary Eloise Anderson, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families; Molly Jasmer, Waukesha County assistant corporation council; and Michelle Jensen-Goodwin, Wisconsin Children's Court Improvement Program director.
The conference offered an opportunity for attendees from 20 states to provide information about how their commissions on children were structured and how resources are shared. Gaylord and Jensen-Goodwin served as faculty members for two of the conference sessions. An action plan was developed at the conclusion of the conference to address how the administration of the Wisconsin Commission on Children, Families and the Courts could be strengthened.
Confidentiality guidebook updated
The Guide to Confidentiality Laws Applicable to CHIPS Proceedings was updated in October 2011 and can be found here.
Juvenile clerks attend advanced training
During the summer, juvenile clerks from across the state attended a training session on advanced topics related to key CCAP (Consolidated Court Automation Programs), case processing, and record-keeping procedures. The half-day training was conducted by Kathy Bosben, CCAP senior business process/system analyst, and Bridget Bauman, a policy analyst in the Children's Court Improvement Project (CCIP), at the CCAP Training Center in Madison. The Juvenile Clerk Advanced Training was a one-time training opportunity made possible through CCIP grant funds. CCIP received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the training. In particular, participants said they appreciated the interactive format, teamwork displayed by the trainers, and time taken to answer questions.