Child protection toolkit to help judges, lawyers with child placements
Appropriate placements for children in abuse and neglect cases – either reuniting child and family or finding another permanent home – is the goal of a new online toolkit aimed at judges and lawyers who handle child protection cases.
Created by the Child Welfare Services Division of the Supreme Court Administrative Office, the toolkit is organized by hearings at various stages in child protection proceedings. Each section includes a description of the hearing, applicable court rules and statutes, bench cards, recommended court forms, links to training videos and materials, administrative memorandum, and other resources and publications.
Depending on the circumstances that led to court jurisdiction, a plan to achieve permanency will either seek to reunite the child and family or seek an alternative permanent home setting. The toolkit includes step-by-step guidelines for judges to follow.
Kelly Howard, Child Welfare Services Director, said the toolkit is a comprehensive resource to help judges and attorneys work toward proper permanency of a child. “For the court to make appropriate decisions on a child’s behalf, the court needs an accurate, thorough set of facts,” Howard said. “This kit provides a one-stop source of information for those who have to make sound judgments concerning a child’s placement.”
The toolkit is available at http://courts.mi.gov/administration/scao/officesprograms/cws/cwstoolkit/pages/default.aspx
ABA website to help veterans filing disability claims
The American Bar Association is unveiling a website for volunteer lawyers interested in helping to ensure veterans receive disability compensation. The site will serve as a key tool for the Veterans’ Claims Assistance Network, a pilot program recently announced by the ABA, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Legal Services Corp.
The pilot program aims to reduce the backlog of veterans’ claims by engaging pro bono lawyers mobilized through a range of legal service providers — including members of the Military Spouse JD Network and those funded by the Legal Services Corp — to provide free assistance to unrepresented veterans with claims pending at the St. Petersburg, Fla., and Chicago regional VA offices.
Interested lawyers can visit the ABA VCAN website at www.ambar.org/vcan and join the volunteer roster, with the case referral system expected to launch this fall. While waiting for case referrals, volunteers will be contacted about no-cost continuing legal education courses on preparing veterans’ claims as well as information about how to become VA-accredited.
Holiday Hours
The Third Circuit Court Civil, Criminal and Family Divisions will be closed on Monday, Sept. 2 in observance of Labor Day.
The 36th District Court will be closed, except for felony arraignments, on Monday, Sept. 2 in observance of Labor Day.
The U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan will be closed Monday, Sept. 2 in observance of Labor Day.
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