Children Attending Court

Children Attending Court

Over the past decade, there has been growing support and interest across the country for giving children a voice in their court proceedings. In Nebraska, Project Everlast emphasizes "nothing about me without me", a philosophy which includes having the youth involved in the court process. The Through the Eyes of the Child Initiative has supported youth having a voice in their future, and has supported activities that increase the frequency of youth attending their court hearings or having their opinions conveyed in the court.

If you are a young person or parent involved in the juvenile system, go to the Youth and Families section to learn more and access resources.



ACTIVITY BOOK AND COMIC BOOK 

The Through the Eyes of the Child Initiative has developed two books for children. These books encourage youth to be involved in their hearings in age-appropriate ways.  Courts, attorneys and CASAs can order these publications at no cost (all other stakeholders can purchase copies at a low cost).

This coloring book is intended for young children (approximately ages 3-7) attending their court hearings.  It contains pictures and activities for the little ones and general information about court for the older ones.

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This comic book was intended for school-age children (approximately ages 6-11) attending their court hearings.  The story focuses on Ben and Emma's "super power" of using their voice to tell the judge, caseworker and GAL how things are going and what they would like to happen.

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Judicial Recommendations For Children Attending Court

Judicial Recommendations For Children Attending Court
Judicial Recommendations For Children Attending Court

There is growing evidence that many children want to attend their court hearings and that it is beneficial for children to do so.  The Recommendations for Judges: Children Attending Hearings brochure provides guidance and suggestions for judges about how to make children comfortable in their courtrooms.  It also contains specific conversation topics that are developmentally appropriate for different-aged children and youth.

Get the Judicial Recommendations Brochure here

Lancaster County Study

Lancaster County Study
Lancaster County Study

The Center on Children, Families, and the Law (CCFL) at UNL has completed a study that assessed children's perceptions and attitudes regarding their participation in the court process, and explored the impact of children's participation on the court process itself.

The study included children who participated in their court hearings as well as children who did not. Children were given an opportunity to provide some brief feedback on their thoughts and feelings, and representatives from CCFL also attended court hearings to observe the effect of the children's participation on the process. Within two weeks of each of the observed hearings, representatives from CCFL visited the children in their foster homes, where children completed a brief questionnaire about their experiences with the court system.

  • The study results were published in the April 2011 edition of Child Abuse & Neglect (Vol. 35, Issue 4). Read the article.
     
  • The researchers who did this study also developed a set of recommendations for Nebraska judges. 
     
  • Findings based on the study were presented at the 2009 Nebraska Children's Summit. Watch the video.
     
  • The Lancaster County Juvenile Court has adopted a court rule on youth attendance at hearings. Read the court rule (Section E).

Older Youth Transition Planning Guide

Older Youth Transition Planning Guide
Older Youth Transition Planning Guide

At the 2012 Nebraska Children's Summit, local teams voted "Older Youth in Care" as one of the three priorities the TTEOC and its teams would focus on.  As one of the projects to address this issue, TTEOC staff and team coordinators project with parnters such as Project Everlast, CCFL training staff, and DHHS to develop a team guide.  The team guide is intended for use by local teams to help them assess how well they include young people in their court processes, and to provide assistance in identifying issues they need to address.

The guide includes a sample transition plan, questions that judges should ask older youth, a transition proposal checklist, and a youth inventory.

Click here to view the Older Youth Transition Planning Guide.

ABA Bench Cards

ABA Bench Cards
ABA Bench Cards

The ABA Center on Children and the Law, Bar-Youth Empowerment program has published Bench Cards to aid judges in learning age-appropriate ways to include children in their court hearings.