Wisconsin currently has very little data on parents’ experiences with Children in Need of Protection and Services (CHIPS) cases. As one of eleven states that have not found that parents have an unqualified right to counsel when accused of abuse or neglect, some parents in Wisconsin are appointed counsel, while others are not. As a result, our court system lacks a uniform source of information as to how parents view their interactions with attorneys and judicial officials in a CHIPS case. It is this gap in knowledge that a new subcommittee has set out to address - by going to the parents themselves for the answers.
The Family Engagement and Representation Subcommittee, part of the Wisconsin Commission on Children, Families, and the Courts is staffed by the Children’s Court Improvement Program (CCIP). At its inception, the Subcommittee established a goal of elevating lived experience voices and reducing reliance on middle-class family standards within the child welfare system. To this end, the Subcommittee developed a parent survey to learn about parents’ legal and judicial experiences directly from parents who have, or have had, a CHIPS case.
The survey is voluntary and anonymous. The parent’s name will not be connected to the survey in any way, nor will it impact their case. Parents are invited to take the survey, whether their CHIPS case is open or closed, and are welcome to skip any questions. The entire survey should take ten minutes to complete, and parents will receive a gift card for their time.
CCIP is currently seeking volunteers from around the state to help promote and distribute the survey. We are hoping to connect with county agencies and departments, tribes, parent mentors/partners, judges, juvenile clerks, parents’ defense counsel, GALs, and lived experience experts to help us reach parents to participate in the survey. The information gathered via the survey will be used to develop tools and resources to improve family engagement and representation in CHIPS cases.
If your county would like to become involved with the survey project, please contact Christina Tenuta: christina.tenuta@wicourts.com
Third Branch eNews is an online monthly newsletter of the Director of State Courts Office. If you are interested in contributing an article about your department’s programs or accomplishments, contact your department head. Information about judicial retirements and judicial obituaries may be submitted to: Sara.Foster@wicourts.gov