When my wife, Melanie, and I first joined the NCJFCJ and attended our first conference in 1989, little did we know that we were opening the door to friendships that would last a lifetime, as well as a vault filled with information about innovative and effective ways to do the business we took the office to do. The training, information, ideas, energy and inspiration I have received from the Council sustain me and make me a better judge.  What more could you ask for?

You don’t have to be a member of the Council to benefit from our work.  We are committed to making available to all judges hearing cases involving with juvenile, family, and domestic violence cases the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure fair, equal, effective and timely decisions. However, there are benefits to membership. 

The benefits of being a Council member are numerous and concrete. Active members have the opportunity to:

• Impact public policy and legislation on a national level;
• Participate in the development and implementation of cutting-edge practices that will have a positive and lasting impact on the children, families and others that you serve;
• Access the latest information on effective best practices that can increase positive outcomes for foster kids, the latest research on alternative programs for youth that may redirect a juvenile from detention, materials on understanding family violence dynamics and much more about the issues confronting our nation’s juvenile and family courts .

Just as you are there to serve the children and families in your communities, we are here to serve you. Please call on us as a partner in your challenging work and join us as a member to support our many efforts on behalf of our nation's children and families.

Thank you for all that you do on behalf of children and families.

R. Michael Key, Judge of the Juvenile Court of Troup County, Georgia
President, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges