Federal Child Welfare Law
Reasonable Efforts and Court Improvement
Presented by Judge Leonard Edwards (Ret.) who is a Judge in residence at the Center for Families, Children, and the Courts, a part of the California Administrative Office of the Courts in San Francisco, this presentation is part of the Washington State Administrative Office of the Court's Reasonable Efforts Symposium Series. Judge Edwards was sponsored as a keynote speaker at the Region 4 (King County) symposium by the University of Washington School of Law's Court Improvement Training Academy (CITA) with funding from a federal Court Improvement Program Training Grant administered by the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts. Judge Edwards presentation provides an overview of the factors influencing juvenile dependency courts in Washington State and across the country, a discussion of federal and state requirements that "reasonable efforts" be made by the state in these cases, and emphasizes the need for judicial leadership in the management and improvement of these court systems. Judge Edwards also highlights several innovations in juvenile dependency court including, use of the drug court model, group decision making, and other tools to improve outcomes for families and children involved in the child welfare legal system.