met; and in 95% of the cases, timely per- manence was achieved. The program re- sulted in a dramatic increase in placement stability and decreased rates of re-referrals to DCF for maltreatment. Children exited foster care three times faster and two out of three were reunified with their parents (compared to one out of three in the usual care control group.).9
In the months ahead, DCF will lead ef- forts to evaluate our state’s process for early identification, intervention, and treat- ment of infants and toddlers in the child welfare system. Cross-disciplinary training on early childhood brain development and the impact of trauma is essential for attor- neys, social workers, and others involved in these cases. There is tremendous exper- tise in early childhood development in Ver- mont, and a strong commitment to ensure collaboration across disciplines to support best practice in this field.
___________________ Kathryn A. Piper, Esq., represented chil-
dren in juvenile CHINS proceedings for nineteen years. She is currently on inactive status while she pursues a Ph.D. in social policy at Brandeis University. Thank you to Patty Breneman and Shari Young of the Vermont Court Administrator’s Office, and Brenda Gooley, DCF Family Services Poli- cy and Operations Manager, for their help with this article.
____________________ 1
Dr. Darcy Lowell is a developmental and be- havioral pediatrician in the Department of Pedi- atrics at Bridgeport Hospital, Yale-New Haven Health System, and associate clinical professor in the Yale Department of Pediatrics and Child Study Center. Dr. Lowell is executive director of Child FIRST, an early identification and treat- ment program to prevent serious emotional and learning problems among very young children in
Bridgeport, Connecticut. 2
The Vermont team included judges, at- torneys, policymakers from the Department for Children and Families (DCF), a legislator, a
guardian ad litem, and a Guardian ad Litem Pro- Child First Overview (October 2011), at http://
gram coordinator. 3
casey.org/Resources/Events/earlylearning/ Darcy Lowell, Translating Science into Best
NewEngland/pdf /ChildFIRST_Overview.pdf 4
Practice and Innovation for Our Most Vulnerable Children and Families, presented at Child FIRST Connecticut (2011), available at
http://casey.org/ Resources/Events/earlylearning/NewEngland/
pdf/slides_lowell.pdf. 5
Id. 6 Matthew Melmed, Executive Director, Zero
to Three. 7
Safe Babies Court Teams: Building Strong Fam- ilies and Healthy Communities, at http://www.
zerotothree.org/maltreatment/safe-babies-
court-team. 8
ministrator. 9
Statistics from Vermont Office of Court Ad- Zero to Three National Center for Infants,
Toddlers, and Families, Safe Babies, Strong Fam- ilies, and Healthy Communities: A Court System Reform Project, at 2, available at http://www.
zerotothree.org/about-us/funded-projects/safe- babies-court-teams/court_teams_final_fact_ sheet.pdf.
www.vtbar.org
THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • WINTER 2012
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The Children’s Corner
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