Resources provide information about infants, toddlers, and preschoolers involved in child abuse and neglect or dependency proceedings and how legal professionals can prepare for their presence in the courtroom.
Advancing Justice for All Children and Families: Children and Families Program NADCP Annual Training Conference (PDF - 21,279 KB)
Center for Children and Family Futures and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (2018)
Highlights sessions from a 2018 National Association of Drug Court Professionals annual conference designed to cover all types of drug courts, including family courts. On page five, find information about a Plan of Safe Care for infants, which helps families prepare for a baby's safe arrival and beyond. Additional resources that provide training and technical assistance for Family Drug Courts are provided toward the end of the publication.
The Core Components of the Safe Babies Court Team Approach
ZERO TO THREE (2018)
Explains the 12 core components of Safe Babies Court Teams and how they help professionals improve the parents' and children's experience of the child welfare system. Each team brings the strengths of a collaborative community to the task of improving outcomes for infants and toddlers in foster care.
Final Evaluation Report of the Quality Improvement Center for Research-Based Infant-Toddler Court Teams (PDF - 15,303 KB)
Quality Improvement Center for Research-Based Infant-Toddler Court Teams (2017)
Reports on an evaluation of the Quality Improvement Center for Research-Based Infant-Toddler Court Teams, including background information about young children exposed to child abuse and neglect and on the history of the Safe Babies Court Team approach. The report describes the training and technical assistance provided by the Quality Improvement Center, focuses on program implementation and indicators of success, describes challenges, and summarizes goals for the future of the program.
Informed Compassion: The Safe Babies Court Team Approach to Serving Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families in Dependency Cases (PDF - 247 KB)
Cohen (2016)
Drake Law Review Discourse
Examines the core components of a Safe Babies Court Team, reviews effective strategies for developing a trauma-informed court team, and reviews other topics related to this approach. The paper concludes that court teams can develop and implement improvements that reduce stress and trauma for young children and their families.
Meeting the Needs of Infants in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases: A Process Evaluation of the Strong Starts Initiative (PDF - 482 KB)
Hahn (2016)
Evaluates the Strong Starts Court Initiative. The initiative is intended to develop the family court's capacity to bring positive changes to the lives of children under 3 and their families involved in child abuse and neglect cases in the Bronx Family Court in New York. The initiative also aimed to assess and understand the needs of court-involved infants and their families, to enhance delivery of services for this population, and to reunite court-involved infants with their families.
National Quality Improvement Center for Collaborative Community Court Teams (QIC-CCCT)
Children and Family Futures (2018)
Describes a national initiative aimed at addressing the needs of infants and families affected by substance use disorders and prenatal substance exposure. The QIC-CCCT will provide training and technical assistance to 15 demonstration sites to enhance and expand the capacity of court teams, sustain effective collaboration partnerships, and more.
Plans of Safe Care: An Issue Brief for Judicial Officers (PDF - 409 KB)
National Quality Improvement Center for Collaborative Community Court Teams & National Center for State Courts (2020)
Provides guidance to judicial officers on implementing plans of safe care to address the health needs of substance-exposed infants and their families.
Plans of Safe Care for Infants With Prenatal Substance Exposure and Their Families
Reasonable and Active Efforts, and Substance Use Disorders: A Toolkit for Professionals Working With Families In or At Risk of Entering the Child Welfare System (PDF - 378 KB)
National Quality Improvement Center for Collaborative Community Court Teams & American Bar Association, Center on Children and the Law (2020)
Provides information for legal professionals about the reasonable and active efforts requirements, examples of how to meet those standards, and ways to use reasonable efforts to support families affected by substance use disorders.
Questions Every Judge and Lawyer Should Ask About Infants and Toddlers in the Child Welfare System (PDF - 5,315 KB)
Osofsky, Cohen, Huddleston, Hudson, Zavora, & Lewis (2017)
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Provides information for judges, attorneys, child advocates, and other child welfare professionals working with families and children under 5 years old. The publication suggests and discusses topics and potential issues that must be understood to meet the complex and needs of this vulnerable population.