The process of identifying early in the case related cases, unmet legal needs, basic needs like food and housing, and behavioral health issues, and adapting court processes or referring families to services in the community.
Family-Centered Fridays
Maryland’s Screening for Abuse Project (April 2024)
In this April session of the 2024 Family-Centered Fridays series from the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), staff in the Maryland Judiciary spoke about their groundbreaking Screening for Abuse Project. Richard Abbott, Program Director in the Juvenile & Family Services Division of the Maryland Judiciary, and Anna Walsh, Director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Division of the Appellate Court of Maryland, discussed the development, implementation, and impact of the project. They also provide and overview of training, screening, and mediation practices in Maryland.
Resources
Comprehensive Screening: Practical Examples (August 2023)
NCSC's Nora Sydow moderates a panel discussion with Joe DiTunno, Deputy Director of Family Services at the Connecticut Judicial Branch, Court Support Services Division; Tricia Lucido, Director of Probation Services at Montgomery County Juvenile Courts; and, Tara Kunkel, Executive Director of Rulo Strategies. These comprehensive screening experts discuss universal behavioral health screening for youth, social determinants of health screening, and family triage screening. Panelists discuss how screeners are used and the outcomes they have shown. There is also an engaging Q&A portion toward the end.