RESOURCE COLLECTION

Case Closed: Understanding Child Welfare and the Courts

The court experience can be intimidating or overwhelming for families involved with the child welfare system. It is important that both professionals and families understand what to expect through the various stages and proceedings.

This collection features publications and resources from Child Welfare Information Gateway that will help you work with, engage, and involve youth and families in both state and tribal court hearings. Use these resources to help families you work with prepare for the courtroom.

Featured Publications

• Understanding Child Welfare and the Courts (also available in Spanish)
  This is a brief guide to the general types of court hearings that a family may experience. It traces the steps of a child welfare case through the court system.
  
  
• Court Improvement Programs: Collaboration Between Child Welfare Agencies and Legal and Judicial Communities (New!)
  This factsheet focuses on collaboration and relationship building between legal and judicial communities and child welfare agencies through the Court Improvement Program.

From the publication, Understanding Child Welfare and the Courts.

• Forensic Interviewing: A Primer for Child Welfare Professionals (New!)
  This factsheet provides child welfare professionals with a brief overview of forensic interviewing so they can better understand how such interviews affect their practice with children and families.
  
  
• How Federal Legislation Impacts Child Welfare Service Delivery
  This factsheet provides an overview of the process by which legislative actions and policy changes at the federal level impact state and tribal child welfare systems and service delivery.
  
  
• From Complaint to Resolution: Understanding the Child Welfare Grievance Process (also available in Spanish)
  This factsheet addresses many of the challenges experienced by families involved with the child protective services system and highlights the available grievance channels.

Featured Resources

• Courts
  This web section includes resources and information about the role of the courts in the child welfare system.
  
  
• Collaboration With Juvenile Justice Agencies (Recently updated!)
  This web section presents resources related to collaboration between child welfare and juvenile justice agencies and includes information about strategies and frameworks for addressing system change.
  
  
• "Tribal Courts and Child Welfare: Being Family Centered" [Podcast]
  This episode is part of a series featuring the work of Tribal Court Improvement Program Listeners will hear examples of tribal courts partnering with families and enabling them to shape how they use tribal child welfare and support services for rehabilitation and reunification.

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