The NCJFCJ is funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to provide targeted support to the Dakota County Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Team, which is implementing the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines and other key recommended practices. The NCJFCJ provides targeted support through court assessments, on-site court observation, strategic planning activities, peer-to-peer learning, and individualized training.

As part of the Implementation Sites Project, the NCJFCJ provides targeted training and technical assistance to the Second Judicial District Court of Ramsey County (under the leadership of Judge DeAnne Hilgers) and the White Earth Tribal Court (under the leadership of Judge David DeGroat). The project is designed to improve practice in the handling of child abuse and neglect cases, reduce the number of children in foster care, and improve outcomes for children in care.

The NCJFCJ partners with the University of Minnesota Duluth and statewide stakeholders in carrying out the State and Tribal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Implementation Grant to create an ICWA implementation plan to be applied statewide and improve ICWA compliance. This work includes research, analysis, and technical assistance.

Minnesota judicial system professionals participated in the NCJFCJ’s Child Abuse and Neglect Institute (CANI). The institute delivers exemplary instruction on the knowledge and skills necessary to preside over effective child abuse and neglect court processes and to improve outcomes for children and families involved in the child welfare system.

Judicial system professionals from Minnesota participated in Courts in the Era of #WeToo: How Judges and Court Managers Can Cooperate to Address Gender-Based Harassment and Abuse, a new training curriculum for courts on addressing workplace harassment. This new curriculum focuses on responding to harassment in the judicial environment while centering the safety, respect, and dignity of people who work in — or who are regularly engaged with — the court.

Minnesota judicial system professionals participated in the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training Series, which explored the historical and current challenges that racial and ethnic disparities pose for youth in the juvenile justice system and in juvenile drug courts.

Justice Anne K. McKeig of Federal Dam and Judge Jamie L. Cork of Hastings are Board Directors of the NCJFCJ.

Our Family Wizard in Minneapolis is an Organizational Member of the NCJFCJ.