In 2010, with funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to support critical cross-departmental and cross-system work, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges began work on the Multi-Court Collaboration (MCC) Initiative, now known as Project ONE, named to signify a holistic approach to families through One Family/One Judge, No Wrong Door, and Equal and Coordinated Access to Justice principles.
In July 2012, the NCJFCJ Board of Trustees adopted the Project ONE key principles which include:
- One family-One judge
- Judicial Leadership
- Implement Recommended Practice
- Respect
- Engagement
- Multiculturalism and Diversity
- Collaboration
- Adequate Resources
- Data Collection, Analysis, and Sharing
- Victim Safety and Empowerment
- Adult and Juvenile Offenders Accountability
Initially, the NCJFCJ selected these six sites for the implementation of Project ONE:
- Jefferson County Family Court, Louisville, Kentucky
- Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- North Okaloosa County unified Family Court, Crestview, Florida
- Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Sixth Judicial Circuit Court (Pasco County), Dade City, Florida
- Second Judicial District Court, Family Division (Washoe County), Reno, Nevada
Of these sites, the Second Judicial District Court (the SJDC) in Washoe County, Nevada, achieved sufficient progress to allow for an initial assessment of the impacts of its Project ONE program. The SJDC implemented its program in 2013 with subsequent adjustments to program structure over the course of the past five years.
While the SJDC’s Project ONE program represents a broader cross-system collaboration, this technical assistance bulletin summarizes the findings of an initial assessment of the court’s attempt to improve system performance and case outcomes for youth who experience overlapping adjudications in the child welfare (dependency) and juvenile justice (delinquency) systems.