Standard 5.45 Resource guidelines for child abuse and neglect cases
Title 5. Standards for Cases Involving Children and Families
Rule Text
(a) Guidelines
To improve the fair and efficient administration of child abuse and neglect cases in the California juvenile dependency system, judges and judicial officers assigned to the juvenile court, in consultation with the presiding judge of the juvenile court and the presiding judge of the superior or consolidated court, are encouraged to follow the resource guidelines of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, titled "Resource Guidelines: Improving Court Practice in Child Abuse & Neglect Cases." The guidelines are meant to be goals to help courts achieve, among other objectives, the following:
(1) Adherence to statutory timelines;
(2) Effective calendar management;
(3) Effective representation by counsel;
(4) Child-friendly court facilities;
(5) Timely and thorough reports and services to ensure informed judicial decisions, including reasonable efforts findings; and
(6) Minimum time allocations for specified hearings.
(b) Distribution of guidelines
Judicial Council staff will distribute a copy of the resource guidelines to each juvenile court and will provide individual copies to judicial officers and court administrators on written request.
Amendment history: Standard 5.45 amended effective January 1, 2016; adopted as sec. 24.5 effective July 1, 1997; previously amended and renumbered as standard 5.45 effective January 1, 2007.