The following resources provide examples of how States and localities have worked with local court systems to better achieve permanency for children and youth.
Assessing Quality of Permanency Hearings: Toolkit (PDF - 2,864 KB)
Summers (2017)
New York State Unified Court System, Child Welfare Court Improvement Project & Casey Family Programs
Overviews quality permanency hearings in New York, offers suggestions for ways hearings can be improved, and discusses best practices for permanency hearings that can be expanded across the State.
Enhancing the Quality of Hearings in New York State: Using Data to Drive Improvement
American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law (2016)
Child Law Practice Today
Shares New York's approach to achieving timely permanence for children in care by improving the quality of court hearings and offers ideas for other States and jurisdictions looking to prioritize quality child welfare proceedings.
Missouri's Multidisciplinary Approach to Child Welfare Systems Transformation
Green (2019)
Children's Bureau Express, 19(10)
Describes three initiatives the Missouri Children’s Division implemented to increase collaboration between legal and child welfare professionals, including creating court partnership teams, hiring and training attorneys in child welfare topics, and prioritizing parent engagement.
The New Mexico Court Improvement Project (NMCIP) and the Children’s Court Improvement Commission (CCIC)
New Mexico Courts
Provides information on the New Mexico State Court Improvement Program (CIP), which provides Federal funding to child welfare agencies and Tribes in New Mexico to enhance the court's role in achieving safe, stable, and permanent homes for children and youth in foster care. The website also reviews accomplishments of the CIP so far and links to related court improvement resources.
Permanency Planning Hearing: Child Protective Proceedings
Michigan Courts (2019)
Presents a toolkit for judges and court professionals that reviews permanency goals and includes links to additional resources, including a judicial bench card on permanency, court permanency options, roles and responsibilities information, and more.
Texas Child Welfare Law Bench Book and Bench Cards
Texas Children's Commission (2022)
Offers a bench book for judges in child protection cases in Texas and includes information on topics such as child protection investigations, alternatives to removal from the home, how to determine best interests of a child, removals, permanency hearings, adoption, community-based foster care, and more.
Toolkit for Attorneys Representing the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Child Protection Cases (PDF - 1,396 KB)
Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial Commission on Children, Youth and Families (2018)
Provides education, resources, and support to judges and attorneys who work on child protection cases across the State of Texas.