Instrument 10_Stakeholder Survey -6-02-23 clean

The Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The described collection of information is voluntary and will be used to help us understand JCAMP implementation. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number and expiration date for the described collection are OMB #: xxxx-xxxx, Exp: xx/xx/20xx. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Dr. Alicia Summers; [email protected] and Dr. Sophia Gatwoski; [email protected].

Stakeholder Survey

<<insert organization name>> is interested in learning more about your experience with the child welfare court system. Your opinion can help us learn more about current practice and ways that we can improve. The survey is voluntary. Your responses are completely anonymous and will not impact your case in any way. This survey should take about <<insert time>> minutes to complete. If you have any questions, you can contact <<provide contact information>>.

For each sentence below, please mark how often the following occurs using this scale:

• Never or almost never = (<10% of hearings)

• Rarely = (10%–35% of hearings)

• Sometimes = (36%–65% of hearings)

• Often = (66%–90% of hearings)

• Always or almost always = (90%–100% of hearings)

How often are the following persons present at child welfare court hearings?	Never or almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
Mother [1.1]
Father [1.1]
Child or youth [1.2]
Tribal representative [1.3]
Foster parents [1.4]
Mother’s attorney [3.1]
Father’s attorney [3.1]
Child’s or youth’s attorney or attorney GAL [3.2]
State or agency attorney [3.3]
Multidisciplinary legal team member [3.4]

Note: This table can be replicated to focus on specific hearing types. For example, you can ask “How often are the following persons present at the [insert hearing type]?” The table can be repeated as many times as necessary to answer your questions of interest.

How often do judges (use “you” for judge survey) engage parents with the following strategies?	Never or almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
Explain hearing purpose and process. [1.6]
Ask which language they are most comfortable speaking. [1.6]
Speak directly to the person. [1.6]
Address the person by name (first, last, and salutation). [1.6]
Ask if parents have questions. [1.6]
Ask if parents understand. [1.6]
Encourage active participation in the hearing or case. [1.6]
Give persons an opportunity to be heard. [1.6]
Identify next steps. [1.6]
Interrupt or talk over the person. [1.6]
Use the preferred pronoun for the parents. [1.6]

Note: This table can be replicated to focus on specific hearing types. For example, you can ask “How often do judges engage parents with the following strategies in [insert hearing type]?” The table can be repeated as many times as necessary to answer your questions of interest.

How often do judges (use “you” for judge survey) engage children or youth with the following strategies?	Never or almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
Explain hearing purpose and process. [1.6]
Ask which language they are most comfortable speaking. [1.6]
Speak directly to the person. [1.6]
Address the person by name (first, last, and salutation). [1.6]
Ask if the child or youth has questions. [1.6]
Ask if the child or youth understands. [1.6]
Encourage active participation in the hearing or case. [1.6]
Give persons an opportunity to be heard. [1.6]
Identify next steps. [1.6]
Interrupt or talk over the person. [1.6]
Ask about the preferred pronouns of the parties. [1.6]

Note: This table can be replicated to focus on specific hearing types.

How often do judges (use “you” for judge survey) engage foster parents or relative caregivers with the following strategies?	Never or almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
Explain hearing purpose and process. [1.7]
Ask which language they are most comfortable speaking. [1.7]
Speak directly to the person. [1.7]
Address the person by name (first, last, and salutation). [1.7]
Ask if the person has questions. [1.7]
Ask if the caregiver understands. [1.7]
Encourage active participation in the hearing or case. [1.7]
Give persons an opportunity to be heard. [1.7]
Identify next steps. [1.7]
Interrupt or talk over the person. [1.7]
Ask for the caregivers input about the youth [1.7]

Parent Attorney Practice

How often do you…? (for parent attorneys) How often do parent attorneys…? (for other professionals)	Never or almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
Meet with parents before the court day to prepare them for the hearing. [1.8]
Meet with the parents after the hearing to discuss what happened and next steps. [1.8]
Use the parents’ preferred pronouns. [1.8]
Meaningfully discuss the parents’ right to a hearing before the settlement . [2.8]
Ensure the parent understands the court documents. [2.8]
Request accommodations for incarcerated parents, non-English–speaking parents, and parents with disabilities to participate in hearings. [2.8]
Raise notice and service objections. [2.8]
Call witnesses, present evidence, and cross-examine opposing witnesses. [3.5b]
Present favorable evidence on the record. [3.5b]
Maintain regular contact with parents between hearings. [3.5c]
[Attorneys] communicate with other parties between hearings. [3.5c]
Attend nonhearing case events for parents. [3.5c]
Cross-examine reasonable efforts evidence at initial hearings. [4.4]
Raise the issue of reasonable or active efforts if not raised at initial hearings. [4.5]
Advocate for tailored services to support reunification in hearings. [5.15]
Advocate for family time and visitation in hearings. [5.15]
Advocate for placement in hearings. [5.15]

Child Attorney Practice

How often do you…? (for child attorneys) How often do child attorneys…? (for all other professionals)	Never or almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
Meet with the child before the court day to prepare them for the hearing. [1.9]
Meet with the youth after the hearing to discuss what happened and next steps. [1.9]
Use the child’s preferred pronouns. [1.9]
Meaningfully discuss the child’s right to a hearing before settlement. [2.9]
Request discovery. [2.9]
Share court documents with the child and make sure they understand the content. [2.9]
Arrange for the child to attend court if they wish to do so. [2.9]
Request a placement option that is supportive of the child’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. [2.9]
Call witnesses, present evidence, and cross-examine opposing witnesses. [3.6b]
Argue for or request services to address the child’s needs. [3.6b]
Share their wishes with the court. [3.6b]
Maintain regular contact with child between hearings. [3.6c]
Visit with children in their placement between court appearances. [3.6c]
Communicate with other parties between hearings. [3.6c]
Meet with parents and their counsel. [3.6c]
Attend nonhearing case events for children or youth. [3.6c]
Cross-examine reasonable efforts evidence at initial hearings. [4.4]
Raise the issue of reasonable or active efforts if not raised at initial hearings. [4.5]
Advocate for tailored services to support reunification in hearings. [5.16]
Advocate for family time and visitation in hearings, including with siblings. [5.16]
Advocate for placement in hearings. [5.16]
GAL advocate for exploration of relative resources for permanency. [5.16]
Advocate for guardianship or adoption and not for another planned permanent living arrangement (APPLA; aging out of foster care). [5.16]

[3.6c] On average, how often would you say you meet with (either virtually or in person) your client?

More than once a month	Once a month	Once every other month
Quarterly	Less than quarterly	Other____________________

[3.6c] On average, how often would you say you meet with (either virtually or in person) other professionals about cases?

More than once a month	Once a month	Once every other month
Quarterly	Less than quarterly	Other____________________

Prosecuting (or Agency or State) Attorney Practice

How often do you…? (for state attorneys) How often do state or agency attorneys (for other professionals) …?	Never or almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
Directly provide parents copies of the petition, court reports, and service plans. [1.10]
Use parents’ preferred pronouns. [1.10]
Refer to parents by their formal name. [1.10]
Routinely provide discovery to counsel for parents and children. [2.7]
Identify and locate parents who are incarcerated at the earliest stage of the proceeding. [2.7]
Call witness and present evidence on the record. [3.7b]
Include favorable evidence about parents on the record when appropriate. [3.7b]
Talk with caseworkers after the hearing to discuss what occurred in court. [3.7c]
Communicate with other parties between hearings. [3.7c]
Encourage resolution of issues by attending non-hearing case events. [3.7c]
Offer information about the agency’s reasonable or active efforts to prevent removal to the court. [4.6]
File motions or petitions in support of permanency in a timely manner. [5.14]
File termination of parental rights petitions in relation to permanency goal changes in a timely manner. [5.14]

Think about typical court practice in your jurisdiction. How often does the following occur?	Never or almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
Timely notice is provided to parents. [2.4]
Notice is provided to parents in their primary language. [2.4]
Court hearings include robust discussion of key topics. [1.11]
Timely service of process occurs. [2.1]
Parent attorneys are appointed before the first hearing on the case. [2.3]
Child attorneys are appointed before the first hearing on the case. [2.2]
Indian children are identified early in the case. [2.5]
Advance notice of hearings is provided to tribes in Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) es. [2.4]
The judge ensures parents and youth can be present at the next scheduled hearing. [2.6]
The judge orders accommodations for parents who are incarcerated, institutionalized, or remote to participate in hearings. [2.6]
The judge ensures interpreters and documents written in a parents’ primary language are provided. [2.6]
The court provides parents and youth copies of court orders. [2.6]
The same attorney represents the parent across the life of the case. [3.5a]
The same advocate represents the child or youth across the life of the case. [3.6a]
The judge makes a finding that the agency did not make reasonable or active efforts. [4.1]
Safety threats leading to removal are discussed at the first hearing. [4.2]
Parent protective capacities are discussed at the first hearing. [4.2]
Child vulnerabilities are discussed at the first hearing. [4.2]
There is discussion of what is preventing the child from returning home today. [4.2]
The agency’s reasonable or active efforts to prevent removal are discussed at the initial hearing [4.2]
The judge asks about the agency’s efforts to prevent removal at the initial hearing. [4.3]
The judge makes detailed reasonable or active efforts findings that explain how the agency worked with the family to prevent removal. [4.8]
Judge orders unsupervised visits for parents. [5.11]
Judge orders visits in family-like settings for parents. [5.11]
Reasonable or active efforts to reunify or finalize permanency are discussed. [5.7]
Concrete steps to achieve permanency are discussed. [5.7]
Barriers to finalize permanency are discussed. [5.7]
The timeline to achieve permanency is discussed. [5.7]
Parents’ involvement in the case plan is discussed. [5.7]
Youths’ involvement in permanency planning is discussed. [5.7]
The nature, extent, and quality of family time, including family time with siblings, are discussed. [5.7]
The judge asks about parents’ access to and receipt of relevant services. [5.9]
The judge orders any relevant services to support reunification or permanency. [5.10]
The judge makes a detailed written visitation order. [5.11]
The judge makes detailed reasonable or active efforts to achieve permanency findings that explain how the agency has worked to reunify the family or to achieve permanency. [5.4]

[2.3] When are parents’ attorneys typically appointed? ________________________________ What are the challenges to early appointment? What things facilitate early appointment?

[2.2] When are child’s attorneys typically appointed? ________________________________ What are the challenges to early appointment? What things facilitate early appointment?

[4.1] At which hearing do judges make reasonable efforts to prevent removal findings? (check all that apply)

☐ Initial ☐Adjudication ☐Disposition ☐Review ☐Permanency

Think about timeliness of case processing and respond to the following statements about frequency.	Never or almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
First permanency hearings are held within 12 months of the child’s entry into care. [5.1]
Termination of parental rights petitions are filed in a timely manner. [5.2]
Termination of parental rights orders are made in a timely manner after filing. [5.3]
A case is continued. [5.5]
TPRs are appealed. [5.6]

JCAMP Stakeholder Survey 17