what about baby courts?• high levels of stress during critical periods of brain development ......

What About Baby Courts? Presented to the AZ Problem Solving Courts Conference

May 16, 2012

Dr. Mary Warren, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona

Dr. Judy Krysik, ASU School of Social Work

Honorable Aimee Anderson

Honorable Colleen McNally

What We Know…….

Infants and toddlers are widely recognized as our most vulnerable population

Intervention is more effective and less costly when provided earlier rather than later in a child’s life

Early, secure and consistent relationships with adult caregivers contribute to healthy brain development

Later academic success is directly related to a young child’s early emotional and social development

*Stay in the system longer

* Higher rates of re-entry post-reunification

*Highest fatality rates as a result of abuse and neglect * Highest rates of entry to child welfare system

Children Under the Age of Five Years:

* Less likely to reunify

Arizona Entry Rate per 1,000 Children by

Age First Admissions

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

0

1

2

3 - 5

6 - 8

9 - 11

12 - 14

15 - 17

Children birth to five * All children 0-5

• Brain develops to 85% of adult size

• Develop and learn within relationships

* Children in foster care experience

• high levels of stress during critical periods of brain development

• higher rates of developmental delay and neurological impairment

Attachment • Genetically wired to

form attachment with older, wiser protector

• Builds thru relationships, interactions

• Birth to 7 months

Attachment Secure Insecure

Trauma • Genetically wired to fear

predators (scary things, hidden things, harm to us/others)

• Witnessing violence or trauma impacts the manner in which the brain develops

Trauma • Disrupts development

• Predisposes child to adult depression, anxiety disorder, addictions, chronic disease

• Future relationships impaired

Most Harmful Trauma • When your caregiver is being hurt

• When your caregiver hurts you

In either case, young child experiences as an overwhelming threat to survival

Best for Babies • National Initiative of Zero to Three:

Court Teams for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers

• Arizona: 12 of 15 counties

• Funding from AOC & First Things First

Goals • To increase shared knowledge of

unique needs of infants and toddlers in child welfare system

• To improve their outcomes through timely, evidence-informed, coordinated services and supports

Core Components

• Judicial leadership & oversight

• Recognition of need for change

• Information on child’s needs

• Capacity to focus on well-being

Core Components

• Coordinated services for – Parent

– Child

• On-going assessments

• Court as time keeper

Best Practices • First placement, last placement

• Focus on healing, thriving

• Concurrent planning

• Frequent child-centered visitation

• Successful reunification

• Twelve months to permanency

Team • Judges

• CPS

• Foster parents

• Attorneys

• CASAs

SAFE BABIES COURT TEAMS Produced by Zero To Three

Maricopa County Child Welfare Center

Cradle to Crayons

44% of dependency petitions filed in Maricopa County involve at least one child under the age of three.

57% of dependency petitions involve at least one child under 5 years old.

Cradle to Crayons

Why?

2010 national statistics show children under age 2 comprised 61% of fatalities due to maltreatment.

41.7% of children in foster care in AZ are under 5 years old.

Cradle to Crayons

• Assigning specific judicial officers to manage baby cases

• Concurrent planning on every case • Ordering more frequent hearings

What Maricopa County Juvenile Court is doing:

• Identifying appropriate community stakeholders for involvement in family treatment

• Ordering more frequent visits

• Specific 0-3 training

Problems: • Caretaker history of

mistreatment • Unskilled young parent(s) • Languishing in System • Poor Bonding and

Attachment • Uncoordinated Service Delivery

Cradle to Crayons Maricopa County Child Welfare Center

Solutions: • Co-location of services • Collaboration of life

stabilizing resources • Increase opportunity for

parent and child to bond and attach

• Increase frequency of visits

• Improve quality of visits – visit coaching

Cradle to Crayons Maricopa County Child Welfare Center

Identify stakeholders Forge partnerships Facilitate strategic

planning meetings Program planning and

development Staffing

requirements Spatial needs

Cradle to Crayons Maricopa County Child Welfare Center

Cradle to Crayons Maricopa County Child Welfare Center

A Collaborative project with community partners to improve outcomes for high-risk infants, toddlers, and their families. A Dependency court with strong judicial leadership and the collaboration and coordination of appropriate and convenient services for both children and their families Goal: Provide infants and young children with stable, nurturing and forever families.

Maricopa County Dependency Drug Court

Dependency Drug Court

* Pima County model * Providing support and

accountability for parents who have substance abuse issues

Purpose is to provide support and accountability to substance abusing

parents in dependency cases

• Voluntary

• Direct referral to CPS mandated testing and treatment

• Frequent judicial supervision

• Progress reported regularly to the parties and judge in the dependency action

Sustained Sobriety increases outcomes of family reunification AND may help prevent substance exposure

in future pregnancies

Thank You! Cradle to Crayons

• Judge Anderson AndersonA002@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov

Dependency Drug Court

• Judge McNally cmcnally@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov

Best for Babies

• Becky Ruffner becky@pcaaz.org

• Mary Warren maryw@pcaaz.org