Via a release from the Office of the Chief Justice of Indiana:
A fresh infusion of cash from the Supreme Court will help move termination of parental rights more swiftly though the juvenile courts system, Associate Justice Frank Sullivan announced today.Posted by Marcia Oddi at December 17, 2004 12:13 PMThe $15,000 grant from the Supreme Court’s Court Improvement Program will continue the pay for a part-time commissioner to hear Termination of Parental Rights cases in the Marion County Superior Court system and extend the life of the program.
Marion County Superior Court Judge James Payne said the funding has been very beneficial to the citizens of Indianapolis. “With these funds, Marion County has started a program to improve services by early referrals for parents to the services to have children returned. That program continues as a nationally recognized approach to early intervention. Modeled after the Lake County pilot, the current grant has allowed termination cases to receive special attention from a hearing officer dedicated to these important cases,” said Judge Payne.
The Court Improvement Project is a federally funded program overseen by the Supreme Court and has been supplemented with funds from the Indiana General Assembly. The project’s funds are intended to help juvenile courts put Children In Need of Services cases on a “fast track” to reduce the time children spend in the juvenile justice system. A backlog of Termination of Parental Rights cases can cause delays in finding a permanent solution for children placed in foster care. The additional commissioner helps move the cases along.
A Court Improvement Project Executive Committee led by Justice Sullivan reviews grants from courts that wish to attempt new and innovative ways to help troubled and challenged children. “Resolving cases involving children should be done quickly and effectively. Marion County has done a great deal to improve the way cases with children are handled. We believe this new funding will help them continue the good work they have begun,” said Justice Sullivan, who has led this effort along with Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard.
Since it was first organized in 1995, the Court Improvement Project has distributed over $900,000 to support court programs and technology development around the state. In early 2004, the Marion County Court system received a grant of $35,830, which had been matched by a grant from the county of $12,101 for the commissioner’s position. Funding for that grant will end March 1, 2005 and the request from the Marion County Court system will extend the funding until May 30, 2005.