Judge Len Edwards (ret.) and Judge Ernestine Gray (ret.) join the podcast to discuss reasonable efforts. The key takeaways of the episode are:

1) Understanding the importance of reasonable efforts

2) Discussing the challenges with making no reasonable efforts findings

3) Clarifying the guidance provided in the Enhanced Resource Guidelines and

4) Discussing the need and motivation to write the book Reasonable Efforts: A Judicial Perspective (1st and 2nd Edition).

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Judge Gayl Branum Carr (ret.) joins the podcast to discuss leading a permanency focused court. The key takeaways of this episode are:

1) Understanding the role of judicial leadership to ensure the purpose of the permanency planning hearing and permanency planning are met

2) Understanding why a permanency focused court is indispensable when attempting to lead change and build and foster a healthy court culture

3) Reflecting on how a permanency focused court leads to reducing the number of cases filed, the number of children removed from their homes when a case is filed, shortens the length of stay out of the home when removal occurs, and increasing reunification.

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Judge Aurora Martinez Jones joins the podcast to discuss uncontested adjudication and dispositional hearings. The key take aways of the episode are:

1) Understanding the purpose of the timely, careful, and complete adjudication and disposition hearings and how this is a demonstration of judicial leadership

2) Overview of why it is essential that the court’s findings accurately record the reason for state intervention when petitions are uncontested

3) Understanding of the importance of courts findings, the need to move to immediate disposition and the impact of findings on subsequent planning

4) Understanding that the court’s key decisions are determining if a child must be placed away from home and the importance of stating the permanency and concurrent plans for the child at this stage

5) Overview of the required ICWA inquire as to whether the child or parents may be of Native American Heritage.

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Judge Ernestine Gray (ret.) joins the podcast to discuss the Preliminary Protective Hearing with an emphasis on how to increase family engagement and trauma awareness. The key takeaways of the episode are:

1) Understanding the main purpose of the initial hearing is to determine whether removal was necessary to prevent further child abuse and neglect and how judicial leadership is critical at this stage of the proceeding

2) Understanding the primary goal is to make the initial hearing as thorough and meaningful as possible

3) Examples of courts demonstrating to parties that the court is taking an active role in moving the case forward, the court is actively engaging the family, and the court is aware of trauma activation and responses.

4) Awareness of how a problem-solving atmosphere can address the needs of the child and family and adapting the problem-solving approaches to an environment that activates a trauma response

5) Overview of the legal threshold for removal, reasonable efforts, returning child home, required findings, who should be in attendance and ICWA determination.

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Judge Ernestine Gray (ret.), Judge Gayl Branum Carr (ret.) and Judge Aurora Martinez Jones join the podcast to discuss Judicial Leadership and the Enhanced Resource Guidelines. The key takeaways of this episodes are:

1) Awareness of the key principles underlying the resource guidelines

2) Explaining how judicial leadership is a practice

3) Understanding why the role of a juvenile judge is different than the traditional role of a judge

4) Awareness of the difference between leading efforts versus managing efforts

5) Understanding how the administration of justice and making decisions in cases is different than collaboration.

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