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Court Improvement Program
The Court Improvement Program (CIP) was established by grant as part
of a federal initiative to support family preservation, prevention of
child abuse, and services to families at risk. The grant was initially
authorized by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-66).
Its purpose is to assess and improve court processes related to foster
care and adoption. The MIchigan Supreme Court is the eligible grantee for the CIP grant funds, which are administered by the State Court Administrative Office, Child Welfare Services Division.
The grant requires collaboration with the Department of Human Services, the Foster Care Review Board, court-appointed special advocates, lawyer-guardians ad litem (attorneys who represent children in child protection proceedings), and agency attorneys, due to their shared responsibility for providing care, representation, and protection for children removed from their homes.
Primary functions of the program:
- Collaborating with agencies and other interested stakeholders to improve the judiciary's function in ensuring safety, well-being, and permanency for children.
- Developing and administering projects necessary to implement the Court Improvement Program recommendations.
- Implementing the program improvement plans developed as a result of the Child and Family Services and Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews.
Primary services of the program:
- Provide training, publications, and technical assistance for trial courts in areas such as compliance with federal foster care regulations.
- Develop and implement court improvements in trial courts handling child protection cases.
Program Resources:
Annual
Report - a synopsis of the
projects and initiatives of the program
Adoption and
Safe Families Act Guidance
Laws,
Court Rules, and Forms Associated with Child Protection
Assessment
Report of the American Bar Association
Reassessment Report
Executive
Summary to the Assessment Report of the American Bar
Association
Summary of
Recommendations from the Assessment Report of the
American Bar Association
Staff and Contact Information
Court Improvement Program
State Court Administrative Office
Detroit:
3034 W. Grand Boulevard
Suite 8-400
Detroit, MI 48202
(313) 972-3288
FAX (313) 972-3289
Lansing:
PO Box 30048
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 373-8036
FAX (517) 373-8922
Links of Interest
ABA Center on Children and the Law: Court Improvement
of Child Abuse & Neglect Cases
http://www.abanet.org/child/home.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - History of CIP
http://www.pal-tech.com/cip/history.cfm
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