Homelessness as a Basis of Removal

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Many states, including Utah, have a statute that prevents children from being removed based upon reasons of poverty alone.

Utah Code 78A-6-302(3) reads:

In the absence of one of the factors described in Subsection (1), a court may not remove a child from the parent's or guardian's custody on the basis of:

(a) educational neglect, truancy, or failure to comply with a court order to attend school;

(b) mental illness or poverty of the parent or guardian; or

(c) disability of the parent or guardian, as defined in Section 57-21-2.

Lack of adequate housing and homelessness, however, are often entangled with the reasons for removal.

There are resources available including the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare:  http://www.nchcw.org.

Follow THIS LINK to for a copy of a slide show presentation that was made at the Nation Parent Attorney Conference in 2015.

National Drug Court Online Learning System

The Center for Court Innovation has announced the availability of new training resources on the National Drug Court Online Learning System:

In partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Center has developed a series of interviews with juvenile drug court practitioners that focus on their roles within a juvenile drug court team. These interviews are particularly relevant for new practitioners and cover the following roles:

• Judge
• Prosecutor
• Public Defender
• Probation Officer
• Program Coordinator
• Treatment Provider
• Educational Liaison

The Center has also developed new expert presentations for adult drug courts, including lessons on:

• Role of the Prosecutor
• Role of the Public Defender
• Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Drug Court

Find the new material, as well as other valuable training resources, at drugcourtonline.org.