NCJ Number
112297
Journal
Lay Panel Magazine Volume: 18 Dated: (September 1987) Pages: 13-16
Date Published
1987
Length
4 pages
Annotation
In keeping with the legal and moral responsibilities of the U.S. juvenile court system to ensure provision of adequate service to dependent and delinquent children and to make all efforts to maintain a child safely in his or her home whenever possible, the Training Division of the National College of Juvenile and Family Law and the Research Division of the National Center for Juvenile Justice developed a 'Reasonable Efforts Protocol.'
Abstract
The protocol suggests that the courts have a leading role as educators and monitors of law enforcement, social and protective services, and legal personnel. It notes that the court should use expert consultants in determining the appropriateness of services and also should monitor its own efforts. The protocol provides judges, agency personnel, and attorneys with basic guidelines for reasonable-effort determinations and presents extensive information on each guideline, including case law, national standards, reference materials, and policy considerations. Guidelines cover monitoring of services, scheduling a reasonable effort determination, and procedures for shelter care and dispositional hearings. Hearing guidelines set forth procedures regarding access to records, enforcement of agencies' obligations, admission of testimony, continuances, return of the child to parents, maintenance services, and agency accountability. Emphasis is placed on the need for training, monitoring, and interagency cooperation.