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Office of Children and Families in the Courts Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts Pennsylvania Dependency Benchbook Resource Companion
Office of Children and Families in the Courts
Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts
Pennsylvania Dependency Benchbook Resource Companion
The Pennsylvania Dependency Benchbook Resource Companion was organized for Pennsylvania judges by Pennsylvania judges. The information contained in the Companion is intended to provide useful information regarding the subjects covered but may not contain all relevant information. The information contained herein is not intended to be construed as all encompassing or authoritative. Copyright © 2011 by Office of Children and Families in the Courts/Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
Office of Children and Families in the Courts Pennsylvania Judicial Center 601 Commonwealth Avenue
Suite 1500 P.O. Box 61260
Harrisburg, PA 17106-1260 This publication has been made possible by a Court Improvement Program grant from the U.S. Department of Human Services, Children’s Bureau. The views expressed herein have not been approved by the U.S. Department of Human Services, Children’s Bureau and, accordingly should not be construed as representing the policy of the Children’s Bureau.
Table of Contents Acknowledgements Committee Members Resource Companion Overview Sec. 1 Attachment and Bonding
Overview Primary Resources
o Reinforcing the Importance of Attachment for Child Welfare Practice o Effects of foster care placement on young children’s mental health: Risks and
opportunities Additional Resources
Sec. 2 Child Development
Overview Primary Resources
o Emotional Trauma in Infancy o The Impact of Trauma on Child Development o Excessive Stress Disrupts the Architecture of the Developing Brain
Additional Resources Sec. 3 Domestic Violence
Overview Primary Resources
o Technical Assistance Brief: A Judicial Checklist for Children and Youth Exposed to Violence
o Reasonable Efforts Checklist for Dependency Cases Involving Domestic Violence Additional Resources
Sec. 4 Grief & Loss
Overview Primary Resources
o Grief & Loss: A Series on Adoption and Foster Care Additional Resources
Sec. 5 Individualized Case Planning
Overview Primary Resources
o The Critical Role of Leadership in Implementing Family Group Decision Making o Concurrent Planning: What the Evidence Shows
Additional Resources
Sec. 6 Mental Health
Overview Primary Resources
o Best Practice/Next Practice: Mental Health Issues in Child Welfare o Blueprint for Change: A Comprehensive Model for the Identification and Treatment of
Youth with Mental Health Needs in Contact with the Juvenile Justice System Additional Resources
Sec. 7 Neglect and Deprivation
Overview Primary Resources
o Child Neglect: An Overview o Failure to Thrive as a Manifestation of Child Neglect
Additional Resources Sec. 8 Physical/Sexual/Emotional Abuse
Overview Primary Resources
o When Inflicted Skin Injuries Constitute Child Abuse o Genital Anatomy in Pregnant Adolescents: “normal” does not mean “nothing happened” o Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect
Additional Resources Sec. 9 Placement
Overview Primary Resources
o Institutions versus Foster Homes: The Empirical Base for the Second Century of Debate
o Why Do Foster Care Placements Disrupt? An Investigation of Reasons for Placement Change in Foster Care
o Why Should the Child Welfare Field Focus on Minimizing Placement Change as Part of Permanency Planning for Children?
Sec. 10 Safety and Risk
Overview Primary Resources
o Child Safety: A Guide for Judges and Attorneys Sec. 11 Substance Abuse
Overview Primary Resources
o Effective Management of Parental Substance Abuse in Dependency Cases o Adolescent Alcohol and Substance Use and Abuse
Additional Resources
Sec. 12 Transitioning Youth Overview Primary Resources
o Enhancing Permanency for Older Youth in Out-of-Home Care o Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth
Additional Resources Sec. 13 Trauma
Overview Primary Resources
o Helping Traumatized Children: Tips for Judges o Ten Things Every Juvenile Court Judge Should Know About Trauma and Delinquency
Additional Resources Sec. 14 Visitation
Overview Primary Resources
o Judicial Oversight of Parental Visitation in Family Reunification Cases o Visitation with Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care: What Judges and Attorneys Need
to Know Additional Resources
Acknowledgements The Pennsylvania Dependency Benchbook Resource Companion was made possible through the assistance of many individuals. The Office of Children and Families in the Courts would like to acknowledge and thank the Honorable Ronald D. Castille, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, as well as all of the Supreme Court Justices for their support of this Resource Companion and dependency court related matters in general. We would like to extend special recognition and appreciation to the Honorable Justice Max Baer, whose amazing vision and tireless efforts to continually improve Pennsylvania’s child welfare system have made the creation of this document possible. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the membership of Pennsylvania’s State Roundtable for supporting the creation of this companion document. We would also like to thank the Honorable Chester Harhut, Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County, as Chairperson for the Dependency Benchbook Committee and all Committee members for their dedication and guidance over the many months in which this Resource Companion was developed. In particular, we commend the Committee for the countless hours of document reading and reviewing which led to the selection of primary and additional resources. Finally, we would like to recognize the Committee’s commitment to upholding the Mission and Guiding Principles for Pennsylvania’s Child Dependency System throughout this Resource Companion, through the selection of topic areas and in the design which connects all three documents. We would like to recognize several expert consultants who assisted in the identification of potential resources including Dr. Judith Silver, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Dr. Pearl S. Berman, Professor of Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Mr. Jim Nice, Family Unity Project; and Mr. Kevin Campbell, Founder, Center for Family Finding and Youth Connectedness. We would also like to thank Mr. Angelo Santore, former OCFC Judicial Analyst, who organized initial committee meetings, discussions and activities which led to the creation of this Resource Companion. Finally, we want to thank the many judges, hearing masters, attorneys, and child welfare professionals who will use this tool to help the children and families of Pennsylvania.
Benchbook Resource Companion Committee Members
Honorable Chester Harhut, Chair Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County Honorable Mary Ann Campbell Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Berks County Honorable Kim Berkeley Clark Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County Honorable Wendy Demchick-Alloy Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County Honorable Kevin Dougherty Administrative Judge, Family Court Division, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Honorable Alice Dubow Judge, Family Court Division, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County Honorable Susan Gantman Judge, Superior Court of Pennsylvania Honorable Carol Hanna Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Indiana County Honorable Todd Hoover President Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County Honorable Brian Johnson Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County Honorable Albert Masland Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Cumberland County Honorable Joy Reynolds McCoy Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County Honorable Craig Miller Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Clinton County
AOPC Staff
Honorable Charles Saylor Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Northumberland County Honorable Kelley Streib Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Butler County Honorable Carol Van Horn Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Franklin/Fulton Counties
Ms. Sandy Moore Administrator, Office of Children and Families in the Courts Ms. Lynne Napoleon Judicial Program Analyst, Office of Children and Families in the Courts Ms. Elke Moyer Administrative Associate/Graphic Designer, Office of Children and Families in the Courts
