Practice tips for managing challenges in parenting capacity assessments in child protection court

Courts frequently rely on parenting capacity assessments to make decisions about visitation and case progress in child protection court. Although these evaluations can provide valuable information to courts, they often involve assessing areas of human behavior that are not clearly defined in the literature. For example, mental health professionals are often tasked with identifying risk and protective factors for child maltreatment while identifying factors that can impede progress towards reunification. Although some of these factors may be easy to identify and assess (e.g., symptoms of mental illness or substance abuse), others may be more challenging. For example, factors such as denial and minimization about risk factors and maltreatment, a parent(s)’ ability to protect their child(ren) from future incidents of maltreatment, the parent(s)’ potential for change, and the consideration of what is in the best interest of the child are hard to assess. This article will provide a summary of the research in these areas, provide tips for managing these areas, and highlight directions for future investigation that will help inform parenting capacity assessments in child protection court.     

The development and pilot testing of a family treatment court best practices assessment: The model standards implementation scale

In 2019, the family treatment court (FTC) best practice standards (the Standards) were published to clarify attributes of FTC programs associated with superior child, parent, and family outcomes. The Standards cover the breadth of FTC operations including program structure and leadership, substance use treatment and complementary services, and behavioral responses to participants. This study aimed to develop an instrument (the Model Standards Implementation Scale; “MSIS”) that stakeholders can use to assess implementation of the Standards by individual FTCs. The MSIS balances usability with scientific validity. Interrater reliability (IRR), internal consistency, and several types of validity were assessed. Results indicated moderate to strong IRR, high internal consistency, mixed known groups validity depending on Standard, and high convergent and divergent validity. Initial findings suggest good validity and usability of the MSIS for evaluating FTC Standards' implementation. Notably, the process of using the tool functioned to educate FTC team members on the Standards. Although implementation of the MSIS is a resource-intensive process, the opportunity to receive constructive feedback proved to be an effective incentive for initial and subsequent participation in the evaluation among FTCs. Future research is needed to examine predictive validity, including association between Standards' implementation and family outcomes in FTCs.     

The future of parenting plan evaluations: A view from the trenches

As expectations rise for parenting plan evaluators to be well-trained, skilled, and knowledgeable in numerous subject areas, and scrutiny of evaluators' work intensifies, the pool of qualified evaluators is shrinking nationwide. The future of parenting plan evaluation as a forensic subspecialty relies upon the availability of competent and committed professionals to do this challenging work, yet few are entering the field. Five experienced parenting plan evaluators from various regions of the United States, including the authors, met for a roundtable discussion to ponder the future of parenting plan evaluations. The panel discussed what drew them to the work, their experiences “in the trenches,” and what has kept them committed to doing evaluations despite daunting challenges. Their views of the rewards and risks of doing the work, barriers and disincentives to newcomers entering the field, recommendations to new evaluators, and outlook for the future are presented.     

Monitoring high-risk sex offenders with GPS

In response to media attention and public demand, legislation increasingly mandates more stringent surveillance for sex offenders. This trend towards greater supervision resulted in the lifetime GPS monitoring of high-risk sex offenders (HRSO) in California. This study assesses the impact of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s GPS program for HRSOs by employing a quasi-experimental design. The treatment group was drawn from all HRSO who were released from prison and placed on GPS monitoring in California. To identify comparison individuals likely to have pretreatment risk characteristics similar to those in the treatment group, a propensity score matching procedure was performed. The final sample included 516 subjects equally divided between the treatment and control groups. Data was assessed using Cox proportional hazards survival analysis clustering participants by parole district. Results showed the GPS condition was associated with significantly fewer parole registration and arrest violations, arrests, and convictions. These results are discussed in relation to other electronic monitoring research, the policy implications for the increasing use of this technology, and its effectiveness in reducing crime, prison populations, and ensuring public safety.     

Legal Representation in the Juvenile Dependency System: Travis County,Texas’ Parent Representation Pilot Project

This study examines outcomes related to a parent representation pilot program in Travis County, Texas. Participation in the pilot program was related to earlier attorney appointment, a higher percentage of attorney presence across the life of the case, and a higher percentage of permanent outcomes for children. Parents’ percentage of presence at hearings across the life of the case was related to the child being returned home, dismissal of the juvenile dependency petition, and permanent management conservatorship. Early attorney appointment (i.e., less than 10 days from the initial hearing to full appointment) was related to permanent case outcomes.     

犯罪压力下的警力资源不足之探讨

中国警力资源不足是客观存在的,造成中国警力资源不足最为主要的原因是犯罪压力太大,而不是警民比例"太低",警民比例"低"是受认识和计算方法的影响所至,仅用警民人数比例生搬硬套来说明警力不足既不全面也不科学,存在很多理论上的误区和漏洞.除犯罪压力影响外,经费保障不足和资源结构配置不够合理造成警力资源失衡、警察体制机制问题、警察工作倦怠以及警察大量的身心健康问题也加剧了警力资源的不足.针对警力资源不足,可采取的相应对策有进一步深化改革,推进"三基"工程建设,将工作落到实处,注重在科技强警上下功夫,给警力松绑,增加经费的投入,从制度上提供良好的后勤保障环境,从优待警,留住警察人才,以及关心警察、注重解决警察的身心健康问题等.     

论大学生人文素养的培育

人文素养的培育不仅是大学生全面发展的需要,更是科学技术发展的需要与构建社会主义和谐社会的需要。因此,必须转变教育观念、增设人文课程,开展丰富多彩的学术活动,建立科学的评估体系,全面提高大学生的人文素养。     

我国警察出庭作证的价值分析与制度构想

警察出庭作证有利于推进刑事诉讼的进程,保障辩护方的权利。警察出庭作证有其功利价值和内在价值,两方价值互补存在,不可偏废。警察出庭作证应有完善的程序设计和制度支持,应赋予其作证的资格、明确其作证的范围,并完善其出庭作证的保障措施。     

政府绩效评估指标设计的开发思路

政府绩效评估指标设计在整个政府绩效评估过程中居于核心地位,指标设计应遵循业绩指标与通用指标相结合、定性指标和定量指标相结合、传统指标与现代指标相结合、正数指标与负数指标相结合、基本指标与修正指标相结合、过程指标与结果指标相结合的开发思路。     

公安院校学生个性特征及其优良个性品质的培养

采用卡特尔16PE量表对我校公专学生进行测试,结果表明大多数学生个性品质的倾向性特征不明显;次级个性因素表现为焦虑、外向、感情用事、怯懦,以及在心理健康、专业而有成就方面都不容乐观;男、女学生在大多数个性因素上无显著差异,但在个别因素上也体现出较强的性别差异。将公专学生与全国优秀公安民警个性特征进行比较,发现优秀公安民警的个性品质远远优于公专学生的个性品质。测试结果为我们培养塑造学生优良个性品质提供了依据和方法,为我们提高学生的整体素质指明了努力方向。