An Overview of the Courts Catalyzing Change Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard Study

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the Courts Catalyzing Change: Achieving Equity and Fairness in Foster Care Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard Study. In the fall of 2009, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) began a study to examine the effects associated with judges' use of the Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard. For this study, data were gathered from case file information (both court and agency files) and from courtroom observations of more than 500 children in Los Angeles, California; Omaha, Nebraska; and Portland, Oregon. Data from a baseline sample were collected at each of the three sites, and judicial officers at each site were randomly assigned to either a Benchcard group or a control group. Benchcard implementation appears to be associated with more discussion and higher quality discussion of key dependency topics during preliminary protective hearings. Benchcard implementation also corresponds to increased judicial inquiry and parental engagement. Benchcard use also was associated with more family placements—placement with a charged parent, a non‐charged parent, or a relative—at the initial hearing and even more family placement at adjudication when comparing the same judges before and after Benchcard implementation. Similarly, the percentage of children who were reunified with the charged parent at the initial hearing and the adjudication hearing increased after Benchcard implementation.

The utility of trauma evaluations in judicial decision‐making in child sex trafficking cases: A qualitative analysis

“…Adding to the challenge is the relative lack of evaluation of the effectiveness of trauma‐responsive organizational practices (Nichols et al, 2022). The development of specific and formalized protocols and strategies such as trafficking‐specific judicial bench cards was mentioned as an aid toward this uniform approach, which in turn can increase the likelihood that recommendations are obtained in a standardized manner by coaching professionals on the specifics of a good quality trauma‐informed assessment (Russell & Summer, 2013; National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2013). Several judges discussed the ‘silo effect’ and the lack of collaboration and coordination among different programs and providers, and identified this as a major barrier.…”

Judging the Other: The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Class in Family Court

“…The Benchcards include a series of reflection questions that are designed to surface biases and encourage judges to integrate parents, children, and family members into the hearing process in a respectful way (NCJFCJ, ). A study of their use found that they improve courtroom practices, including parental engagement and quality of discussions, and that reunification rates increased after the Benchcards’ introduction (Russell & Summers, ).…”