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Resource Guidelines: Improving Court Practice in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases

NCJ Number
156842
Date Published
1995
Length
170 pages
Annotation
These guidelines aim to set forth the essential elements of properly conducted family court proceedings in cases involved child abuse and neglect by describing family court functions, outlining the efficient maintenance of court calendars, explaining court staffing and organizational issues, and clarifying associated costs with these procedures.
Abstract
This document, guided by the principles of avoiding unnecessary separations of children and families, reunifying families when possible, making timely decisions in child abuse and neglect litigation, and fulfilling an effective oversight role, specifies all necessary elements of a fair, thorough, and speedy court process. The chapters discuss general issues related to child abuse and neglect hearings, and provide recommendations for conducting preliminary protective hearings, adjudication hearings, disposition hearings, review hearings, permanency planning hearings, termination of parental rights hearings, and adoption hearings. 3 appendixes