Judicial Leadership in Multidisciplinary Parent and Child Representation(MDR)for Child Welfare Cases
Free of Cost to Judges and Court Workgroup Employees
0
Days & Times
9 a.m. PDT/10 a.m. MDT/11 a.m. CDT/Noon EDT
Course Location
Online
Course Fees
Free of Cost to Judges and Court Workgroup Employees
$0
Rigorous research indicates that Multidisciplinary Parent and Child Representation (MDR) programs result in shorter stays in foster care, reduced harms, higher rates of reunification, and greater satisfaction among parents, judges, and child welfare staff. (1)
MDR programs are comprised of an attorney, a social worker, and a parent advocate who jointly provide holistic support in child welfare cases and help parents work on familial issues immediately. These programs are an innovative response to the shortcomings of solo attorney representation. Increasingly, judges and professional associations endorse MDR as an approach that addresses the underlying issues families face and prevents future harm, while shortening or avoiding court involvement altogether and saving funds. In fact, judges play central roles in the conception, development, and implementation of MDR programs. In Oklahoma and New Mexico, judges led efforts to create these programs, and the Ohio Supreme Court directed the development of six county-level pilot MDR programs wherein judges helped conceptualize the pilot models and oversee the programs from their courthouses. Additionally, many child welfare agencies support this approach, as it addresses the issues that bring families into the child welfare system, lowers caseloads, and helps them fulfill their mission of keeping children safe.
This evidence-based webinar describes how MDR programs improve the quality of representation and produce better outcomes for children, families, communities, and stakeholders across the justice system. It also details how judicial leadership can advocate for the expansion of MDR models and provides resources for judges to receive the information and assistance they may need in developing MDR programs for their jurisdictions.
Presenters:
Dr. Timothy Ross, founder and Managing Partner, Action Research. Dr. Ross is an applied researcher with 25 years of experience in child welfare research, analysis, and system reform. He launched Action Research in 2010 to improve human services for children, youth, and families through research and policy analysis.
Susan Jacobs, Esq, founding Executive Director and current Special Counsel of the Center for Family Representation (CFR) in New York City. Jacobs launched the nonprofit in 2002 to provide free legal and social work services to help keep children from vulnerable families with their parents.
(1) See Gerber, L. A., Guggenheim, M., Pang, Y. C., Ross, T., Mayevskaya, Y., Jacobs, S. & Pecora, P. J. (2020). Understanding the Effects of an Interdisciplinary Approach to Parental Representation in Child Welfare,” Children and Youth Services Review 116 (September 1, 2020)
Free of Cost to Judges and Court Workgroup Employees $0
During this course, you will learn to:
- Identify operational, financial, social benefits, and federal support of MDR programs.
- Understand a judge’s crucial role in piloting MDR programs for the benefit of their jurisdictions and constituents.
- Explore your interest in exploring the creation of MDR teams for their jurisdictions as possible examples of “evidence-based judicial leadership community interventions.
Rigorous research indicates that Multidisciplinary Parent and Child Representation (MDR) programs result in shorter stays in foster care, reduced harms, higher rates of reunification, and greater satisfaction among parents, judges, and child welfare staff. (1)
MDR programs are comprised of an attorney, a social worker, and a parent advocate who jointly provide holistic support in child welfare cases and help parents work on familial issues immediately. These programs are an innovative response to the shortcomings of solo attorney representation. Increasingly, judges and professional associations endorse MDR as an approach that addresses the underlying issues families face and prevents future harm, while shortening or avoiding court involvement altogether and saving funds. In fact, judges play central roles in the conception, development, and implementation of MDR programs. In Oklahoma and New Mexico, judges led efforts to create these programs, and the Ohio Supreme Court directed the development of six county-level pilot MDR programs wherein judges helped conceptualize the pilot models and oversee the programs from their courthouses. Additionally, many child welfare agencies support this approach, as it addresses the issues that bring families into the child welfare system, lowers caseloads, and helps them fulfill their mission of keeping children safe.
This evidence-based webinar describes how MDR programs improve the quality of representation and produce better outcomes for children, families, communities, and stakeholders across the justice system. It also details how judicial leadership can advocate for the expansion of MDR models and provides resources for judges to receive the information and assistance they may need in developing MDR programs for their jurisdictions.
Presenters:
Dr. Timothy Ross, founder and Managing Partner, Action Research. Dr. Ross is an applied researcher with 25 years of experience in child welfare research, analysis, and system reform. He launched Action Research in 2010 to improve human services for children, youth, and families through research and policy analysis.
Susan Jacobs, Esq, founding Executive Director and current Special Counsel of the Center for Family Representation (CFR) in New York City. Jacobs launched the nonprofit in 2002 to provide free legal and social work services to help keep children from vulnerable families with their parents.
(1) See Gerber, L. A., Guggenheim, M., Pang, Y. C., Ross, T., Mayevskaya, Y., Jacobs, S. & Pecora, P. J. (2020). Understanding the Effects of an Interdisciplinary Approach to Parental Representation in Child Welfare,” Children and Youth Services Review 116 (September 1, 2020)