Court Improvement Program Court System Structures

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CIP Local Stakeholder Survey

The following survey is part of the Court Improvement Program Court System Structures data collection. It is designed to help us to better understand current child welfare court practice in the state and territories. The data gathered from this assessment will be used to inform technical assistance materials under development by the Capacity Building Center for Courts. This is an effort to organize state level child welfare information in a user-friendly format so that all Court Improvement Programs and IV-E grantees can learn from each other. This survey should take approximately 10 – 15 minutes to complete. 
Your participation in this survey is voluntary and your individual information will be kept private. 
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number and expiration date for this collection are OMB #0970-0531, Expiration Date: 09/30/2025.

    1. What is your state/territory? 

    2. In what county do you primarily work? 

Please respond to the following questions regarding your primary county of practice. 

    3. Does your county authorize judicial officers other than judges to hear child welfare cases? (Y/N)

        a. If yes, what kinds of judicial officers preside over your child welfare cases? (check all that apply)
            i. Judges
            ii. Magistrates
            iii. Referees
            iv. Commissioners
            v. Other__________________________

    4. Approximately how many judicial officers oversee child welfare cases in your county?

    5. What percentage of courts in your county have a dedicated child welfare docket?
        a. 0
        b. 1-25%
        c. 26-50%
        d. 51-75%
        e. 75-99%
        f. 100% 

    6. Regarding child representation and advocacy in your county, consider in general the practice in courts in your county. How are children represented in court? (check all that apply)
        a. Children are appointed attorneys.
        b. Children are appointed an attorney guardian ad litem.
        c. Children are appointed an attorney and a lay advocate.
        d. Children are appointed a lay advocate.
        e. Children are not appointed representations/advocates.

    7. In your state…

What percentage of the courts in your state….
0
1-25%
26-50%
51-75%
76-99%
100%
Use in-house staffing for children’s representation






Use contract attorneys for children’s representation






Have multi-disciplinary children’s representation offices or “specialty” offices







    8. Do you have standards of practice for children’s attorneys/attorney GALs?  (Y/N)

        a. If yes, can you provide a link? ________________________

    9. Where does the funding for child legal representation primarily come from in your county? _________________

    10. We would like to consider how children's attorneys are compensated in your county. It is okay to estimate your answer.

What percentage of attorneys in your county are compensated…
0
1-25%
26-50%
51-75%
76-99%
100%
at an hourly rate, with no cap per case.






at an hourly rate, with a per case cap.






as a salary






at a flat rate per case






at a per hearing rate






other






I don’t know



    11. What (if any) form of lay advocacy does your jurisdiction provide to children? (check all that apply)
        a. peer advocates for children or youth
        b. Court Appointed Special Advocates
        c. non-attorney guardians ad litem
        d. other (Please specific)_________________________________________________

Concerning legal representation for parents in your county…

    12. Do you have standards of practice for parents’ attorneys?   (Y/N)

        a. If yes, can you provide a link? __________________________________

    13. Regarding the organization of parent representation…

What percentage of the courts in your county….
0
1-25%
26-50%
51-75%
76-99%
100%
Use in-house staffing for parent representation?






Use contract attorneys for parent representation?






Have multi-disciplinary parent representation offices or “specialty” offices?







    14. We would like to consider how parents’ attorneys are compensated in your county. It’s okay to estimate your answer.

What percentage of attorneys in your county are compensated…
0
1-25%
26-50%
51-75%
76-99%
100%
at an hourly rate, with no cap per case.






at an hourly rate, with a per case cap.






as a salary






at a flat rate per case






at a per hearing rate






other






I don’t know



Regarding agency legal representation...

    15. How is the child welfare agency's legal representation organized in your jurisdiction? 
        a. state department of human services staff
        b. county department of human services staff
        c. non-department of human services state or county office (e.g. district attorney’s office)
        d. Other_____________________________________

    16. Do you have standards of practice for agency attorneys?  (Y/N)
        a. If yes, can you provide a link? ______________________

    17. Who does the agency attorney represent; that is, who is the client?
        a. the child welfare agency
        b. the "people” of the state/county
        c. the county itself
        d. Other, please specify _________________________________

    18. How are agency attorneys compensated in your jurisdiction?
        a. salary
        b. hourly rate
        c. other ________________