Posted: Thursday, July 12, 2007

The Juvenile Protection Benchbook, which was created as a guide for child protection court cases, has been completed and posted on the "Benchbook" page of the Children's Justice Initiative (CJI) Web site. The Benchbook is a guide for child protection system stakeholders, including judges, CJI team members, court administrators, county attorneys, social workers, public defenders, Guardians ad Litem (GALs), tribal court representatives, and foster parents.

The Benchbook specifies the necessary elements of a fair, thorough, and timely court process for each stage of a child protection proceeding. The Benchbook also includes an overview of relevant federal laws, a summary of significant Minnesota cases, and summaries of substantive issues.

Comments about the Benchbook are welcome. The goal is to solicit comments through October, make necessary revisions in November, and distribute hard copies of the Benchbook chapters to all judges in December. Please submit comments using the Comment Form available in Chapter 40 or by e-mail to CJI Staff Attorney Judy Nord.