Juvenile Court

When a Court orders a parent into drug/alcohol rehabilitation, the Court means now. Does entering rehabilitation mean that child will be returned to the parent immediately? Absolutely not. Rehabilitation requires following a plan and succeeding in small steps as the plan moves forward. The best results come when the employees from the rehab facility testify about the progress and success…

Clients work to persuade me that the client is ready for change. Having the right words is the first step toward convincing a judge that change is indeed on the horizon. Unfortunately, words alone will not shift a judge’s perspective. That a client can see and understand the client needs to change is groundbreaking for the client. Judges, prosecutors, CPS case managers,…

The first time a parent in juvenile court said to me, “I brought my child to court so that court would teach my child respect. But we just keep coming back and nothing changes. The Judge, DJJ they don’t do anything.” My initial response was wonder. Really, a parent thought a government agency and/or a court could fix that type…

Clients bring me their plan. The plan to convince the Court that the situation has changed; the client is new person. The most significant hurdle for clients in this situation is themselves. “I’ll start after my case is over.” “My friend owes me money. Once they pay up, I’ll change.” Whatever the condition, it’s always tomorrow. Understand, as I’ve said…

Why do foster parents need a book? The court system is confusing. No one clearly advises or advocates for Foster Parents within this juvenile court system. Caregiver’s Compass provides an innovative and informative guide for Foster Parents to learn the processes and keep track of necessary information. After years of watching Foster Parents struggle with their role and desperately wanting to advocate…

Frequently, I hear parents in juvenile court state that they only wanted the police to scare the child into compliance with the parent’s rules. The parent can not understand why the matter was brought to juvenile court. Ultimately, the query to the Court is “why are we here? The police came to the house and handled the situation.” Violating household rules…

I’ve put together a simplified timeline for juvenile court. The internal workings of juvenile court require more explanation. This timeline is an initial approach for the uninitiated attorney. The goals of a case plan, itemized in a chart don’t always make sense to a client. Identifying the goal, writing it down, breaking the goal into the necessary parts, all this…