The Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance (JCAMP) were developed to help child welfare, legal, and other professionals understand and improve child welfare court practices. Individuals (e.g., judges, attorneys, court administrators) and organizations (e.g., Court Improvement Programs, attorney organizations) can use the JCAMP performance measures for child welfare court and systems improvement. On this page, you’ll find overviews of the performance measures and downloadable resources for use.
The JCAMP measures were developed using a set of guiding principles.
The measures:
- Highlight the child and family experience
- Incorporate equity into implementation and analysis
- Are usable and flexible for sites and court stakeholders to inform practice
- Are feasible for sites with varying data capacity to implement
- Are guided by research evidence and best-practice recommendations
- Include theories of change for each measure that describe how the measure relates to outcomes for children and families
- Complement the existing court measures and Child and Family Services Reviews measures
The measures cover five topical categories.
Family engagement
Parents, caregivers, children, and youth are involved in their court processes.
Due process
All families have access and matters are resolved according to a fair, clear, and reasonable process.
High Quality Legal Representation
All families and the child welfare agency have access to counsel who are trained and equipped to meet accepted standards for attorney practice in and outside of court.
Safety measures
Children are protected from harm and safety decision-making occurs at key points in the court process.
Permanency
A person has a legal relationship with a safe, stable, and nurturing family that is intended to last a lifetime.
Each category includes three focus areas.
| What they do | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Court process measures | Measure what happens in the court process, including before, during, and after court. Meant to serve as a starting point for measurement. | Do parent attorneys attend hearings? |
| Professional practice measures | Measure what judges and attorneys do during and between hearings. | How do parent attorneys ensure they provide high-quality legal representation? |
| Family experience measures | Measure how families experience and perceive the child welfare court system. | Are parents satisfied with their attorneys' representation? |
Summers, Gatowski, & Fromknecht. (2022). Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance quick start guide. Capacity Building Center for Courts.
Access the JCAMP resources
Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance (JCAMP) Quick Start Guide (PDF - 228 KB)
Summarizes the JCAMP volumes and describes important information for use.
Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance (JCAMP) Vol. I Measures (PDF - 937 KB)
Describes the JCAMP performance measures across five topical categories.
Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance (JCAMP) Vol. II Implementation Guide (PDF - 852 KB)
Guides users in effectively implementing the measures and using the data.
Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance (JCAMP) Vol. III Implementation Toolbox (PDF - 1,782 KB)
Compiles tools for each implementation step in volume II, including sample data-collection instruments.
Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance (JCAMP) Vol. IV Technical Guide (PDF - 1,730 KB)
Provides information on how to calculate each measure using different data-collection methods.
Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance (JCAMP) Vol. V Background & Research (PDF - 1,071 KB)
Describes the methods used to develop the measures and discusses supporting research evidence and best-practice recommendations for each measurement category.
Suggested Citation
Summers, Gatowski & Fromknecht (2022), James Bell Associates, Capacity Building Center for Courts