Projects & Outreach: Nebraska Court Improvement Project

Using federal funding made available through a contract with the Supreme Court of Nebraska, this project is designed to improve the functioning of the state court system in responding to cases involving children who have been abused or neglected. This project began in 1995 and, with a recent Congressional re-authorization, is expected to continue indefinitely. The Court Improvement Project is the umbrella for most of the Center on Children, Families and the Law's activities that focus on the judicial and legal system. These specific projects include:

• The 'Through the Eyes of the Child' Initiative
• The Supreme Court Commission on Children in the Court
• Nebraska Guardian ad Litem Training

Publications

• Know Your Rights Guide for Youth in Nebraska's Foster Care System
• Guide for Foster Parents and Relative Caregivers Understanding the Nebraska Juvenile Court Child Protection Process
• Guide for Parents Walking Your Way Through the Nebraska Juvenile Court Child Protection Process
• Nebraska Revised Statutes: Selected Provisions Pertaining to Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice. 2007 Edition

Research and Evaluation

• Children in Court Study
• Pre-Hearing Conference Study
• 2005 Reassessment of Court and Legal System for Child Abuse and Neglect and Foster Care
• Nebraska Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) Report and Appendices.

Past Projects

• Family Group Conferencing
• Court-Agency Collaborations
• Revision of the Nebraska Juvenile Code - Mark Ells, J.D. completed a complete revision of the Nebraska Juvenile Code in 2001. The Nebraska State Legislature is doing an Interim Study on the draft code during the summer and fall of 2002. The new code may be introduced in the 2003 legislative session.
• Training - The CIP conducts training for judges and attorneys and distributes resources to judges regarding changes in federal and state law.
• CIP helps support publication of the RAP (Research Advancing Practice) Sheet, a quarterly publication that summarizes findings from the social science literature regarding child protection and juvenile justice.