National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues

Introduction

The National Court Improvement Progress Report and Catalog is a resource for state court systems working to improve child abuse and neglect law and practice. The National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues updates the Report and Catalog, based on the annual reports submitted to the federal government and materials developed by Court Improvement Projects (CIPs) across the country.

The Report and Catalog is organized by state and topic and contains the following:

• State Summaries. The state summaries describe the major activities and accomplishments of each state for the year. Summaries can be viewed from 2003 - through the latest year posted. State summaries provide category links to relevant National Summary sections.

• National Summary. The National Summary details state accomplishments by category and subcategory. The major categories include Hearing Quality and Depth; Legal Representation of Parties; Timeliness of Decisions; Notice to and Participation of Parties; Treatment of Parties; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Quality and Professionalism of Judiciary; Court Staffing; Technology; Training and Education; Legislation, Court Rules, Forms, and Orders; Community Collaboration; Evaluation; Child and Family Services Review; and New/Innovative Projects. The National Summary contains links to relevant state summaries.

• CIP Catalog. Organized by state and category, the Catalog contains descriptions of materials (e.g., benchbooks, manuals, rules) developed by state CIPs and other stakeholders. Links to materials for immediate access are provided where available; additional information regarding materials not immediately available can be obtained through the relevant CIP state contact.

• State Contact List. The Contact List contains the names of CIP Directors and other staff members (for some states) and their contact information.

Purpose: This online resource is intended to facilitate the exchange of information between CIPs nationwide. By providing information about and, where possible, access to other states' work products, the Progress Report and Catalog can facilitate dialogue between state programs and help states develop better products.