7/12/07 -- Every day, juvenile and family court judges hear difficult and contentious cases involving child custody and visitation, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and delinquency. The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will explore these issues among many others at its 70th Annual Conference, scheduled July 22-25, 2007 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.

More than 650 juvenile and family court judges, related professionals, their families, exhibitors, and NCJFCJ staff are scheduled to participate in the annual conference proceedings.

Plenary session and workshop highlights include:

•   Keynote address on Monday, July 23 at 9:00 a.m. by Judge Andrew Becroft of New Zealand, on “Challenges for Youth Justice: A Quick Nip and Tuck or Radical Surgery?”

•   “Thank You for Not Fighting: Resolving High-Conflict Custody Cases and Keeping Them Resolved, A Judicial and Psychological Approach” will examine the psychological factors that result in parents being unable to consider the best interests of their children, providing practical methods for reaching resolutions in high-conflict cases. July 23, 10:30-12:00 pm.

•   “Men Who Batter: Effective Strategies for Engaging Men and Holding Them Responsible” will describe the relationship between men who batter and their children, explore the effects their actions have on family members, and examine appropriate interventions to hold them accountable. July 23, 10:30-12:00 pm

•   “Re-Thinking Pink: Girls in the Juvenile Justice System” will present information on the increasing numbers of girls involved in the juvenile justice system and provide strategies for judges in dealing with them. July 23, 10:30-12:00 pm.

•   “The Role of Judges in Managing Juvenile Sex Offense Cases” is a three-part track providing judges with information about a unique judicial education curriculum focusing on juvenile sex offenders. July 23, 10:30-5:00 pm

•   “International Custody and Abduction”  will provide an introduction to civil and criminal legal remedies used to prevent and resolve international family abductions and the unintended consequences of the Hague Convention on battered women. July 23, 1:45-3:15 pm

•   “Disproportionate Representation of Minority Children in Out-of-Home Care” will present research findings that examine whether race contributes to overrepresentation in the foster care system. July 23, 1:45-3:15 pm

•   “Intersection of Truancy and Domestic Violence” will identify potential indicators that a truant student may be experiencing domestic violence in the home and explore how the courts can help these children. July 23, 3:30-5:00 pm

•   “Juvenile Mental Health Courts: The Santa Clara County Experience” will discuss the experiences of Santa Clara County, which implemented the nation’s first Juvenile Mental Health Court. July 23, 3:30-5:00 pm

•   Plenary session on “Helping Very Young Children from the Bench: The Marriage of Law and Science” will explore how judges can break the cycle of child abuse and neglect by applying the science of early childhood development to judicial decision making. July 24, 8:30-9:30 am

•   Plenary session on “”Loves Me, Loves Me Knot: The History, Law and Literature of Marriage” will discuss and expose the most powerful myths of marriage and consider how understanding the history of marriage might alter judgments., July 24, 9:30-10:15 am

•   “Methamphetamine in Dependency Cases” explores the ways in which the Victims Act Model Court in Tucson, Ariz., has dealt with meth-related dependency cases to improve outcomes for children and families. July 24, 10:30-12:00 pm

•   “Resiliency in Children of Divorce” focuses on the quality of parenting after divorce as one of the major factors that lead to resilient outcomes for children. July 24, 1:45-3:15 pm

•   “Teen Courts” examines this growing juvenile justice intervention program that involves volunteer youth and adults in rendering sentences in minor delinquency cases. July 24, 1:45-3:15 pm

•   “Bullying” focuses on the more than 160,000 students who miss school every day for fear of an attack or intimidation by a bully, examining the causes of the problem and possible strategies that can be implemented by courts, schools, and community agencies. July 24, 1:45-5:00 pm

•   “Children and Domestic Violence: From At-Risk to Resilient” discusses the “power of one” individual who can make a difference in the lives of children. July 24, 3:30-5:00 pm

•   “Systems Response to Children Exposed to Violence” focuses on recent studies and legislation on the impact of violence on children. July 24, 3:30-5:00 pm

•   “Juvenile and Family Case Law Update” will be presented by Stephen Adams, Editor Emeritus of California Law Report, July 24, 3:30-5:00 pm

Thirty workshops will be presented as well on such topics as child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, juvenile sex offenders, delinquent girls, tribal issues, methamphetamine abuse, high conflict cases, domestic violence, truancy prevention, and other topics intrinsic to juvenile and family courts.

Accredited reporters are welcome to cover the conference sessions. Please contact Jackie Ruffin at 775-784-6686 or 775-741-5984, or e-mail jruffin@ncjfcj.org  to register or for more information.