Adoption and PermanencyForum II

Expediting Court ProcessSponsored by

State Court Administrative Office,Child Welfare Services Division

30 October 2009

Envisioning and Actualizing Change:

Rules of the Roadand

Tips For the Trip

Judge Nancy Salyers

Envisioning Change

In the beginning,

there was a problem,

which became an opportunity

which became a problem

again.

Rules of the Road #1

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

Anonymous

Rules of the Road

From a schoolhouse . . .

Rules of the Road

. . . To a warehouse.

Rules of the Road

“There are three kinds of groups:Those which make things happen;Those which wait for things to happen;

andThose which wonder what happened.”

Anonymous

Rules of the Road #2 “Pay attention to the questions you need to ask,Not the answers you want to hear.”

Leonard Hirsch

Rules of the Road

Why must this child come into care?Where are the parents?Where are the relatives?Who has a significant relationship?Why is this child still in foster care?How is this child doing in school?Is this continuance necessary?

Rules of the Road

Why is this child still in care?Who are the relatives?Where are the relatives?How are visits progressing?When is the next visit?What is the next expectation marker?Why must this child stay in care?

Rules of the Road

In

Whose Best Interests?

Rules of the Road

Best Practice of LawPlus

Best Practice of Social WorkEqual

Best Interests of Children

Rules of the Road

CLIENT FAMILYor

COURT FAMILY

Which has more issues?

Set the Tone

COLLABORATIONvs

CLOBBERATION

Set the Tone

DocketedOne JudgeStaggered Call

UndocketedSeveral JudgesCattle Call

Rules of the Road #3

Show Up Show Up PreparedUniform note taking, reason for hearing,

expectation for next hearing, uniform case plan

Set the ToneUrgency vs DelayShared Responsibility vs MistrustKnowledgeable Action vs FearHigh Expectation vs None

Philosophy One Judge One Family Strategic Plan Mission Statement Permanent = Permanent Information is meant to be shared We are Accountable Children need childhood

Rules of the Road #4

“If you have a lot of things to do, get the nap out of the way first.”

an 8 year old

Rules of the Road

Permanency begins on Day 1. Permanency has no end, but the process does.

Admonish, Admonish, Admonish

WordsVisualReinforceReinforceReinforce

Admonish . . .

Concurrent Plan Good Bye Letter Voluntary Relinquishment Establishment of Paternity by order +

Child Support

ResourcesChildrenParentsFoster ParentsService ProvidersCASACRBStakeholders

ResourcesCourt CoordinatorsCourt FacilitatorsParent educatorsPaternity testersHead Start Public SchoolsPTA

ResourcesChild Support EnforcementAdoption Information CenterChildren’s RoomTable of FiveChild Protection Advisory WorkgroupGeographic CalendarsUniversities

Rules of the Road #5 Do No Harm

(Safety vs. Risk)

Watch the Dancing Line

Remove/Reunify

“Parents don’t have to be perfect” “Compliance doesn’t mean behavioral

change” “Get to the root of behavior” “How does it interfere with parenting

safely?”

Rules of the Road #6

“When you get to the fork in the road, take it.”

Yogi Berra

Cook County Court & IDCFS Jointly Manage for Results

3,9674,709

7,271

8,534

10,332

12,860

5,6026,667

9,991

7,4806,650

4,638 4,333

2,8542,181 2,510

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

Case Openings Case Closings

State of IllinoisCook County Court Docket

Results in Cook County

Opened Closed Pending

1994 9,991 2,834 58,000

1999 3,984 12,055 19,081

2007 1,150 2,455 8,802

Rules of the Road #7 “Never be afraid to try something

new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.

A large group of professionals built the Titanic.” Dave Barry

Rules of the Road

Sworn affidavit listing relatives1 hour “Preliminary” HearingOpen DiscoveryJoint Interview of InvestigatorSet first visit + + +Schedule Court Family Conference (45 day conference)

Rules of the Road

Parent Education Project“What Parents Can Do”Raise ExpectationsSet ExpectationsArticulate ExpectationsReinforce, Reinforce, Reinforce

Rules of the Road

Court Improvement Program +AFSA +CFSR Process +Program Improvement Plan +Pew Commission Recommendations +Court Performance Measures +Program Improvement Plan +

Rules of the Road

National Leadership Summit +Call to Action +Fostering Court Improvement +Expanded CIP Funding =

MOVEMENT

Movement

The act of movingChange of pace, place or postureProgress and advancementMotion of the mind or feeling

CHANGE

Rules of the Road #8 The only person who likes CHANGE is a wet baby.

Change

Journey Placement NotebooksStatewide Information SystemReasonable Efforts re: safetySafety vs RiskConcerns/Ideas

Change/Expectations

Concurrent Planning Good-bye Letter Voluntary Relinquishment Expanded definition of Family Importance of Visitation Judicial Leadership (Stakeholders, Community, Legal Community)

Change

The Hawthorne Effect

Rules of the Road #9

What gets measured gets doneOr

DATA, DATA, DATAIS NOT

YADA, YADA, YADA.

Judge Nancy Salyers

Rules of the Road #10

“Even if you think you are on the right track,

you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

Will Rogers

“Some days there aren’t any trumpets,just lots of dragons. Courage doesn’talways roar. Sometimes courage is thequiet voice at the end of the day saying,‘I will try again tomorrow’.” Mary Anne Radmacher