The mission of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges is to provide all judges, courts, and related agencies with juvenile, family, and domestic violence cases with the knowledge and skills to improve the lives of families and children who seek justice.
Staying true to our mission and in furtherance of our strategic plan, the NCJFCJ features a Behavioral Health program, the newest addition to join our longstanding and trusted programs: Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Family Violence Domestic Relations. Our Behavioral Health program is uniquely and strategically embedded within each of NCJFCJ’s programs, including our research division, the National Center for Juvenile Justice.
Our Behavioral Health program is pivotal in providing training and technical assistance that addresses crucial and complex topics that courts face daily, such as mental health, trauma, substance use, child and adolescent development, social and emotional learning, educational health, and wellness. The NCJFCJ understands the unique needs that youth and families face in courts, communities, and related systems; therefore, we encourage a multidisciplinary approach when serving youth and families that bring all the key players to the table that provide critical wrap around services and systemic support. We acknowledge that disproportionalities and disparities exist across groups experiencing behavioral health challenges and we are committed to educating the judiciary and on ways to close the gap.
Additionally, our Behavioral Health program houses our ever-growing Judicial-Wellness-Connection-Leadership Initiative to optimize opportunities that enhances healthy judges to lead healthy courts and communities. Within this initiative we offer key programs such as Monday Morning Moments and our Wellness Symposium.
At NCJFCJ we recognize the power that behavioral health education has within the judiciary, both internally and externally, to promote positive behavior and healthy outcomes, prevent mental health issues, create connections to community and appropriately aligned services, and to improve overall well-being for everyone that our courts serve.