FOSTER CARE COURT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

In 1993 Congress passed the Family Preservation and Support Act to enhance the judicial administration of cases that involve foster care.  Each state that received federal funds was required to conduct an assessment; develop a plan to improve; and implement the plan.  Then Chief Judge of Maryland, Chief Judge Robert Murphy, authorized the formation of the Foster Care Court Improvement Implementation Committee to implement the recommendations generated in the 1997 assessment report, Improving Court Performance for Abused and Neglected Children.  The recommendations in the 1997 Report have been broken down an assigned to five subcommittees: CINA, Representation, Training, and Statistics Subcommittees, and the TPR Workgroup.

The Implementation Committee serves as the oversight committee to the Foster Care Court Improvement Project (FCCIP).  Its primary responsibilities are to monitor the progress of the five subcommittees and the FCCIP as a whole; approve grant expenditures; and set the vision for the FCCIP.  While each of the subcommittees has been directed to implement several of the recommendations outlined in the assessment report, the Implementation Committee is specifically responsible for the following recommendations: (1) coordinating and/or establishing local multi-disciplinary meetings and training programs; (2) overseeing the distribution of CASA start-up funds; and (3) developing the evaluation mechanism for the overall FCCIP.

Coordination and/or establishing local multi-disciplinary meetings and training programs:

The FCCIP staff, working with Vanita Taylor from the Office of the Public Defender, Carol Ann Smith from the Attorney General’s Office and Robyn Scates from the Maryland Legal Services Program, embarked on an exciting and unique venture to coordinate six regional multi-disciplinary meetings.  The meetings focused primarily on the March 2000 AFSA regulations and the resulting federal audits.  Specific emphasis was placed on the Children and Family Services Review scheduled for November 2003.  This is the first time these agencies have come together to offer a joint educational program. 

The program planners brought a diverse group of CINA stakeholders –judges, masters, attorneys, court administrators and personnel, family support services coordinators and CASA representatives – together.  This diverse group discussed the impact of various CINA regulations, statutes, and policies on the different agencies as well as the efficient, timely and effective handling of cases.  The exchange across discipline lines lead to a very lively and informative discussion.

Overseeing the distribution of CASA start-up funds:

The FCCIP working with our umbrella organization the Department of Family Administration has been awarded a grant from the Maryland State Council on Child Abuse and Neglect to fund CASA programs in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Harford, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, as well as the lower Eastern Shore.  The funding was awarded as a three-year grant for new program development in Frederick County and expansion funding for existing programs in the other jurisdictions.  The funds are to be used to increase the number of children served by CASA programs by expanding volunteer recruitment, training and supervisory capabilities.

Developing the evaluation mechanism for the overall FCCIP:

The FCCIP contracted with the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law to study and evaluate the progress of the efforts made since the Project’s initial assessment in the Fall of 1997.  The 1997 report recommended:

1. The development of a uniform system for collecting basic case statistics, including an effort to develop specific guidelines regarding the terminology utilized for information collected and maintained by the Judiciary, and training for clerk personnel.

2. The Judiciary should organize and fund an annual training conference on matters relating exclusively to TPR and CINA cases.

3. The amendment of existing statutes to provide for legal representation of indigent parents in all critical stages of CINA cases, an evaluation of the quality of legal representation for children through the competitive bidding process, and uniform standards for the representation of children.

4. Draft legislation establishing a new CINA statute and the adoption of uniform terminology and procedures.

5. Development of a more comprehensive system of collecting and disseminating information regarding the status of children under the jurisdiction of the court by utilizing an automated Uniform Court System. 

In order to complete the evaluation, the ABA will meet with members of the FCCIP, Judges, Masters, Department of Social Services (DSS) and Department of Human Resources (DHR) staff, court personnel, and attorneys who represent children, parents and DSS.  The evaluation should be completed by July 2003.

Implementation Committee

Committee Chair:
Hon. Patrick L. Woodward, Court of Special Appeals

Committee Vice Chair:
Hon. David W. Young, Circuit Court for Baltimore City

Committee Members:
Hon. Theresa Adams, Circuit Court for Frederick County
Hon. Philip T. Caroom, Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County
Hon. William O. Carr, Circuit Court for Harford County
Hon. Edward R.K. Hargadon, Circuit Court for Baltimore City
Hon. Katherine Savage, Circuit Court for Montgomery County
Master Zakia Mahasa, Circuit Court for Baltimore City
Master Ann R. Sparrough, Circuit Court for Prince George’s County
Master Peter M. Tabatsko, Circuit Court for Carroll County
Delegate Kathleen M. Dumais
Cyntrice Bellamy-Mills, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene/Mental Hygiene Administration
Charles Cooper, Administrator, Citizens Review Board for Children
Arlene Lee, Governor’s Office for Children
Leslie A. McMillan, Assistant Director, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Carnitra White, Deputy Director, Social Services Administration, Department of Human Resources

Project Staff:
Tracy Watkins-Tribbitt, MSW, Director, FCCIP
Hope Gary, Esq., Assistant Director, FCCIP
Erica LeMon, Esq., Permanency Court Coordinator, FCCIP
Harry Amarantidis, Database Support Technician, FCCIP
Sonia Holland, Administrative Assistant, FCCIP