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April 2023Vol. 24, No. 3Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance

Volume I of the Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance (JCAMP) report provides a set of performance measures to help judges, attorneys, court administrators, and related organizations understand and improve child welfare court practices. While most current child welfare measures focus on outcomes and agency practice, the JCAMP performance measures focus on court processes, professional practices, and family experience. These include what happens before, during, and after court; the activities that judges and juries perform; and how families experience and perceive the child welfare court system.

The report organizes the measures into five categories:

  1. Family engagement
  2. Due process
  3. High-quality legal representation
  4. Safety
  5. Permanency

The report includes a section on each measure category that explains what the category is, why it is important, how it can be measured in relation to child welfare court proceedings, and more. Each performance measure category prioritizes child and family experience, equity, and research evidence.

More information is available in the full report, Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures or Performance (JCAMP): Volume I: Measures. The project was funded by the Children’s Bureau and conducted by the Capacity Building Center for Courts. It was developed in collaboration with children, youth, and families with lived expertise.

The report discussed in this article is one of five volumes included in the JCAMP project. The other four volumes include an implementation guide, an implementation toolbox, a technical guide, and a background and research report.