Juvenile Court Programs
Juvenile and Family Court Programs Division is in the Office of the State Court Administrator. Juvenile Court Programs develops, implements, and evaluates juvenile programs for statewide application in the courts and use by the public and government partners. Programs are aimed at providing consistent and accurate information and tools to help navigate the court system and improve effectiveness and timeliness in the operating procedures of the courts in the juvenile law areas. Juvenile Court Programs is also responsible for strategic planning, collection, and evaluation of statistics, and performing high level liaison work to develop policies, procedures, and evaluate laws affecting juvenile court operations statewide. Juvenile Court Programs develops and delivers training and education for judges, OJD staff, and juvenile court system partners at all levels.
Juvenile Court Improvement Program (JCIP)
JCIP was established in the early 1990s to administer the federal Court Improvement Program grant from the Children’s Bureau, which is awarded to the highest state court in every state to improve court practices in child abuse and neglect cases and to enhance collaboration with local courts, the Oregon Department of Human Services, and Tribes. JCIP’s vision is to raise the profile and priority of child abuse and neglect cases in Oregon. JCIP efforts focus on improving legal representation in dependency proceedings, hearing quality, court data, timeliness and quality of permanency, engagement of parties, compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and tribal collaboration, and safety decision-making. JCIP is guided by a statewide Advisory Committee, which is intended to collaborate on goals and improvements to Oregon's juvenile dependency system that advance equity, consistency, and improve outcomes for system involved families.
Family Dependency Treatment Court Program (FTC)
The FTC program was established in 2020 through a combination of federal grant and state funding to support local implementation and evaluation of Family Treatment Courts across the state. FTC works to implement and solidify best practices, facilitate collaboration among system partners, increase access and participation to family treatment courts, and provides ongoing evaluation and continuous quality improvement to existing treatment courts. FTC is guided by a statewide Advisory Committee, which is dedicated to improving the well-being of families, reducing the length of time children spend in foster care, and increasing the rate children reunify with their parents.
The FTC Program includes the Family Treatment Court Statewide Advisory Board which works together to improve systems cooperation in supporting FTCs. The Statewide Advisory Committee’s focus is on statewide governance, standardized practices, and continuous quality improvement. The current membership is composed of representatives from several agencies, including OJD, DOJ, DHS Child Welfare, DHS Addiction and Recovery Services, DHS Tribal Affairs, OPDC, OHA, the Governor’s Advocacy Office, Oregon Housing and Community Services, Morrison Child and Family Services, and the Oregon CASA Network. The board recently approved a statewide
Frequently Asked Questions document to help FTC teams navigate best practices, common barriers, and statewide resources.
Juvenile Delinquency Improvement Program (JDIP)
JDIP was established in 2021 with support from Oregon’s Legislature to create a program modeled after JCIP federal grant program. It’s vision is to improve Oregon’s response to youth who are involved in the delinquency system to improve outcomes for youth, families, victims, and their communities. JCIP partnered with the Center for State Governments to assess Oregon’s juvenile justice system and make recommendations to improve it. In 2022, JDIP was also awarded a federal grant through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to expand resource development and support family engagement initiatives. JDIP is guided by a statewide Advisory Committee, which includes judges, court staff, and system partners, as well as a Juvenile Justice Youth Advisory Board.
The OSTP was established in October 2023 through a federal grant awarded by the Children’s Bureau. The OSTP is a partnership between JCIP, the Oregon Department of Human Services, and The Klamath Tribes to effectively implement best practices in Indian child welfare services to preserve families of federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, protect children, and ensure that children remain connected to their families, communities, and culture. The OSTP is committed to actively collaborating and engaging with the 9 nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon, individuals with lived experience in Oregon’s child welfare system, and tribal and community system partners.