Children's Justice Act

The Children's Justice Act is a federally funded program that helps States develop, establish, and operate programs to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases, particularly cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation, and to improve the handling of cases of suspected child abuse or neglect fatalities. Resources include State and local examples.

Children's Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities (PDF - 107 KB)
Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice (2003)
Describes a Federal program that provides grants to Tribes to improve their capacity to handle serious child abuse cases, especially sexual abuse cases, by developing specialized services and procedures that address the needs of American Indian child victims.

A Victim-Centered Approach to Crimes Against American Indian and Alaska Native Children: Resource Guide and Workbook for Drafting New or Amended Tribal Laws on Crimes Against Children
Tribal Law and Policy Institute (2008)
Provides illustrative examples, narrative, and discussion questions to help Tribes develop and/or update their laws to address victimization of Tribal children.

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State and local examples

Children's Justice Act
Minnesota Department of Human Services
Describes the State's use of Children's Justice Act funds and provides links to resources developed through the Children's Justice Initiative.

Children's Justice Act
Texas Center for the Judiciary
Offers reports and recommendations from the task force, meeting agendas and minutes, and links to grantee resources.

Children's Justice Act Task Force
Office of Children's Services, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
Presents information about an Alaska project that focuses on strengthening the system's response to child sexual abuse cases.

Children's Justice Act Task Force
Oregon Department of Human Services
Includes reports and analyses produced by the task force, meeting minutes and agendas, task force members, and contact information.

Governor's Task Force on Children's Justice
Describes the Michigan task force's mission, vision, and accomplishments, and presents announcements and upcoming events.

Juvenile Services: Virginia's Multidisciplinary Teams
Department of Criminal Justice Services
Explains the benefits of multidisciplinary teams for working with abused or neglected children and highlights Virginia's Children's Justice Act Program, which offers information on interagency protocols, team tracking, and information sharing.

MCLE Training Sessions for New Dependency Court Counsel
Children's Advocacy Institute (2007)
Offers video and handouts from a training session to prepare attorneys appearing in dependency court with less than 1 year of experience. It includes information on the legal framework for child welfare law, interviewing children, educational advocacy, and the appeals process.

SC Children's Justice Act Task Force
University of South Carolina, Children's Law Office
Provides information about South Carolina's project and includes recommendations for improvements.

Wisconsin Department of Justice Children's Justice Act Program
Office of Crime Victim Services
Describes Wisconsin's program to improve investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases, improve handling of suspected child abuse and neglect fatalities, and limit additional trauma to the child victim and family.

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