CFCC News
Register today for the CFCC Symposium on Protecting Family Integrity, Thursday, September 29!
CFCCs July Newsletter focuses on the Spring 2022 Truancy Court Program Highlights.
Click here to read the full article and subscribe to future communications.
CFCC in the Spotlight
CFCC Truancy Court Program Attorney Spencer Hall, with the support of the CFCC team, presented an overview of the CFCC Truancy Court Program to the Baltimore School Climate Collaborative (BSCC) on January 11, 2022. The BSCC has monthly gatherings with school-climate-based organizations where they can update, network, and form alliances.
Shanta Trivedi’s opinion letter,
What's happening in Texas should come as no surprise
, appeared in The Washington Post on February 28, 2022, in response to the article, “Tex. governor calls for child abuse investigations of transgender care.” She argues that vague definitions of abuse and neglect open the door to state-approved discrimination, and such laws have historically been used to control Black and Native families, who live in constant fear that their children could be removed.
CFCC Founding Director Barbara Babb's 2019 book, Caring for Families in Court: An Essential Approach to Family Justice , co-authored with Judy Moran, is now available in paperback. The authors propose an approach to family justice system reform that envisions the family court as a "care center," by blending existing theories surrounding court reform in family law with an ethic of care and narrative practice.
CFCC WORKS TO ENSURE THAT THE FAMILY JUSTICE SYSTEM AND THE PRACTICE OF FAMILY LAW IMPROVE THE LIVES OF FAMILIES AND CHILDREN AND THE HEALTH OF COMMUNITIES.
CFCC aims to improve the practice of family law and to reform the family justice system in ways that better serve the complex needs of today's families, children and communities. Two theoretical paradigms undergird all of our work:
- Therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) is a legal concept that has become an interdisciplinary field of philosophy and practice. TJ recognizes the power of the law and the behavior of legal actors to produce positive (helpful) or negative (harmful) consequences. In family law matters, these outcomes affect the well-being of families and children involved with the justice system.
- The ecology of human development is a social science systems perspective that emphasizes a holistic approach to understand and resolve families’ and children’s problems.
We are strong advocates for the creation and implementation of unified family courts, a court structure that has comprehensive subject-matter jurisdiction over all family law matters. The model unified family court equips the justice system to approach the full range of the problems that bring families into court, including legal and related nonlegal issues.
WHAT WE DO
We educate new and experienced attorneys
We prepare attorneys to address the complex issues of family law cases from a therapeutic, holistic perspective. Our CFCC Student Fellows Program immerses UBalt law students in this problem-solving approach to family law. Our cutting-edge online Post-J.D. Certificate in Family Law prepares attorneys seeking to focus on family law or add it to their practice.
We advocate for family justice system reform
We work nationwide to develop unified family courts (UFC) and advocate for problem-solving courts. Our goal is to ensure that the family justice system helps, not harms, families, children and communities.
We consult with courts and jurisdictions
We work with courts and jurisdictions nationally and internationally to improve the delivery of legal, social, judicial, administrative and other services within the family justice system. We work with jurisdictions to evaluate and recommend reforms to a jurisdiction's family justice system.
We provide resources and trainings for professional development
Our training programs and tools provide judges, attorneys, court professionals and services providers with resources to increase their understanding of the overwhelming problems that so often bring families and children to court.
We engage the community and interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline
Our Truancy Court Program directly improves the lives of students, families and schools. Our annual Urban Child Symposium brings together professionals across a wide range of disciplines to address issues affecting the well-being of children nationwide.