About Us
The Child Welfare & Family Justice Division enhances the well-being of children and families involved in the court system.
The Division oversees the Child Welfare Court Improvement Project (CWCIP) and supports the Statewide Coordinating Judge for Family Court Matters, including with the implementation of the Family Justice Initiative and the Permanent Commission on Justice for Families.
Vision
A child welfare system that is collaborative, acts urgently to achieve timely, stable permanency, is trauma informed and data driven.
Court Data Metrics
Trauma Informed Care Project
This project is geared towards judges and court professionals and aims to create a systemwide cultural shift towards trauma informed practices in legal and child welfare systems using evidence-based approaches for organizational change. Choose from the available programs, and we will tailor our assistance to your specific needs. For more information contact Aimee Neri at [email protected].
Background
The CWCIP is supported by a federal grant administered by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Grants are awarded to states to support implementation of reforms in child welfare court practices.
New York State's Court Improvement Project began in 1994 and was administered from its inception through the fall of 2006 by the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children ("the Commission"). During 2006 federal funding for the CWCIP expanded to support additional training and data collection and analysis efforts prompting the Commission to recommend institutionalization of the operations of the CWCIP into the Office of Court Administration. The Child Welfare Court Improvement Project was then housed within the Division of Professional and Court Services.
The CWCIP works in strong partnership with the executive branch's Office of Children and Family Services; local departments of social services; attorneys representing parents, children and the social service districts; service providers and other stakeholders.