On April 28, 2021, CITA is sponsoring a session for dependency judicial officers at the Superior Court Judges Association Spring Conference. 

Strengthening the Front Door of the Courthouse

The trauma of removing children from their parents, the cost of State intervention for bad outcomes, and the racial disparity exercised by our child welfare system, call us to resist the use of our courts to separate families in order to deliver help. The front door of the courthouse needs to be a threshold that is hard to get past. This session will explore some of the practices and structures used to strengthen the front door of the courthouse. Participants will explore options for the first 30 days of a dependency case that can help reduce removals and speed up permanency for families.

Presenters:  Rob Wyman (Casey Family Programs), Jacob D’Annunzio (Office of Public Defense, Parents’ Representation Program), Carissa Greenberg (Attorney General’s Office) and Ryan Murrey (WA Association of Child Advocate Programs)

Materials:

SCJA Spring Conference 2021- Strengthening the Front Door of the Courthouse