Dependency

CFCC serves as staff to the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care, a multidisciplinary body that includes judges, legislators, child welfare administrators, foster youth, caregivers, philanthropists, tribal leaders, advocates for children and parents, and others. In 2008, the commission issued a comprehensive set of recommendations to improve California’s juvenile dependency courts and foster care system. In 2009, the commission developed an action plan for implementation of the recommendations, and it currently reports to the Judicial Council annually on its implementation activities and progress. In May  2012, the commission took on a new charge from Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye to create a statewide initiative to keep kids in school and out of court, if outside funding could be secured, which will culminate in a summit on the issues relating to truancy and school discipline policies in the state. Work on that initiative and implementation activities are ongoing. For more information, view the California Blue Ribbon Commision on Children in Foster Care page.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Assembly Bill 2216 (Stats. 2006, ch. 384), the Child Welfare Leadership and Performance Accountability Act of 2006, which, among other things, established the California Child Welfare Council (CWC). The CWC is a state advisory body that considers recommendations to improve child and youth outcomes through increased collaboration and coordination among the programs, services, and processes administered by the multiple agencies and courts that serve children and youth in California’s child welfare system. The CFCC provides staff support to the Child Welfare Council.

A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a trained volunteer appointed by a judicial officer to provide advocacy for a child who is under the jurisdiction of the courts due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. CASAs spend time with children, monitor needed services, and provide child-focused recommendations to the court based on the best interest of the children they serve.

The Judicial Council’s CASA Grants Program provides funding, technical assistance, evaluation, and training for CASA programs in California. There are 44 local CASA programs providing services in 49 of California's 58 counties and one tribal CASA program. For more information, refer to the CASA fact sheet.

CASA Directory
This is a directory of CASA offices by county.

CASA Annual Program Report
The annual CASA program report includes the findings of California respondents to a local program survey administered by the National CASA Association. The annual program report includes information about program resources, staff, volunteers, and children served. Staff of the AOC CFCC review data submitted by California CASA programs, work with the programs to ensure data integrity, and produce this report.
2010 CASA Program Report
2009 CASA Program Report
2008 CASA Program Report

CASA and the Courts: An Assessment
In 2008, the AOC, in partnership with the SPHERE Institute and Ceres Research, conducted a study of the services provided by CASAs to dependency courts statewide. This one-time assessment focused on what CASAs do to gather and present critical information about dependent children to the court. The study included the perspectives of CASA volunteers, CASA youth, program staff, judicial officers, and community partners. In addition to highlighting innovative and effective CASA practices, the study is being used to guide the Judicial Council in its CASA Grants Program and to help make decisions about how to improve and expand CASA programs. A companion judicial primer is also available.
CASA and the Courts: An Assessment
CASA Primer for Judicial Officers

Infants and Toddlers Demonstration Project
The Infants and Toddlers Demonstration Project (I&T), funded by the Stuart Foundation, was a four-year study that explored the effects of the early appointment of CASA volunteers on the dependency experience of children aged three and under. The study explored several permanency issues, including whether infants and toddlers assigned to CASA volunteers were placed in permanent homes sooner than those in a comparison group not assigned to CASAs.
I&T Final Report 

The AOC CFCC has established the Juvenile Court Assistance Team (JCAT). JCAT staff include attorneys and analysts who have experience in the full range of juvenile dependency and delinquency court proceedings. JCAT liaisons are assigned to work with specific courts on initiatives, including local Blue Ribbon Commissions on Children in Foster Care; the Dependency Representation, Administration, Funding, and Training (DRAFT) Program; and Judicial Review and Technical Assistance (JRTA). In addition to these efforts, which are primarily focused on juvenile dependency, JCAT liaisons support a number of delinquency initiatives, described in the Delinquency and Crossover Projects sections of this site.

See a list of liaisons by county.

• Local Blue Ribbon Commissions on Children in Foster Care
Local commissions have been established across the state in response to the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care’s Final Recommendations to the Judicial Council. The local commissions are convened by the presiding judge of the juvenile court and the county social services director and are charged with identifying and resolving concerns, addressing the recommendations of the California Blue Ribbon Commission, and building local capacity for a continuum of services to meet the needs of children and families in the child welfare system.

• Dependency Representation, Administration, Funding, and Training Program
The Dependency Representation, Administration, Funding, and Training (DRAFT) program was implemented to address critical trial court needs with respect to attorney quality, availability, and cost through the establishment of partnerships between participating courts and the AOC. Under DRAFT, courts retain responsibility for juvenile dependency counsel selection and the AOC has responsibility for direct attorney contracting and service administration. Primary components of DRAFT include competitive bidding for court-appointed counsel services, the execution of standardized appointed counsel contracts, and the development and promulgation of attorney performance and training standards. See the DRAFT fact sheet. The DRAFT program was also featured in the latest issue of Innovations in the California Courts.

• Judicial Review and Technical Assistance
The JRTA project is designed to improve the lives of foster children and their families by focusing on child safety, legal permanency, and child and family well-being when conducting juvenile court case file reviews and courtroom observations for compliance with state and federal laws. See the JRTA fact sheet.

The resources in this section include various publications and media produced by CFCC staff; and links to useful websites for practitioners and persons interested in juvenile dependency. The California Dependency Online Guide (CalDOG website) and the Dependency Quick Guide (Dog Book), resources for dependency professionals, are also featured.

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Below are resources to assist the trial courts in implementing the Juvenile Dependency Counsel Collections Program (JDCCP), which was established by the Judicial Council under the mandate of Welfare and Institutions Code section 903.47. The purpose of the JDCCP is to collect reimbursements for the cost of providing court-appointed counsel in juvenile dependency proceedings from parents and other responsible persons to the extent that those persons are able to pay. Resources available include guidelines and forms, reporting templates, cost models, and background information, and technical assistance from Center for Families, Children & the Courts staff.

Guidelines
The JDCCP guidelines adopted by the Judicial Council and inserted as Appendix F to the California Rules of Court by an amendment to rule 1.4(d), effective January 1, 2013.

Forms
Judicial Council forms approved for optional use, effective January 1, 2013, to assist courts in implementing the JDCCP.

Reporting Templates
The following templates should be used for the annual reporting requirements:
Cost Recovery Template
This template is for reporting the collections costs incurred by the court under section 11.0 of the JDCCP Guidelines.
Annual Reporting Template
This template is for reporting collections information under section 13.0 of the JDCCP Guidelines. This report is due annually on September 1st.

Additional Information
Uniform Cost Model
A model for applying the regional rates for dependency-related legal services approved by the Judicial Council in 2007 and 2008 to determine the maximum cost of legal services allocable to an individual client in a particular county. Assistance in applying the model is available.
Flowchart
A chart walking through the basic steps in determining a responsible person’s ability to pay reimbursement for the cost of dependency-related legal services and ordering reimbursement.
Judicial Council Report, October 26, 2012 Meeting
The report to the Judicial Council discussing the rationale for the guidelines and forms and recommending their adoption or approval.

Technical Assistance
For customized technical assistance with program development and implementation, please contact jdccp@jud.ca.gov.

CFCC is administering the Psychotropic Medication Pilot Program. This program provides participating trial courts with psychiatric consultation services to assist juvenile court judicial officers in making informed decisions regarding the administration of psychotropic medication to children and youth in the child welfare system.