PLENARY Juvenile and Family Law Q Ottawa Convention Centre
POST CON
Serving Members Locked Out By Funding Cuts
MEETING: The 2011 National Conference on Juvenile and Family Law, held March 27–30 at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Reno, Nev. Spon- sored by the nonprofit National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), the meeting is attended by judges, court admin- istrators, probation officers, caseworkers, and other court-related personnel looking for the latest research and training on improving the juvenile-justice system.
CHALLENGES: In a Pre Con profile of the conference (available at www.pcma.org /Convene/Issue-Archives/January-2011 .htm), Diane Barnette, CMP, NCJFCJ’s director of conferences and marketing, described how factors including cuts in states’ budgets had
caused the number of non-judge attendees to drop precipitously. It’s a significant problem, Barnette said, because court-related person- nel, including social workers and probation officers, have the most direct impact on indi- viduals who come into contact with juvenile and family courts.
INITIATIVES: To provide more opportunities for non-judges to attend this year’s conference, NCJFCJ raised money to offset costs for 50 court-appointed advocates, who are selected by judges to represent children in the court system. NCJFCJ also offered reduced rates to probation officers and other service providers. That helped, Barnette said, but not enough.
While NCJFCJ had hoped for 600 registrants, about 500 people attended. A main culprit was those state funding cuts — which reduced not only training budgets but staff sizes. “Even when you are offered a discount,” Barnette said, “if you don’t have the staffing, you can’t take advantage of it.” What did work was Barnette’s strategy to
use digital tools and social media to deliver educational content straight to the desktops of members who couldn’t attend. Barnette successfully launched what will be the first in a series of webinars, a radio broadcast, and a blog, where more than a dozen national experts contribute posts about issues affect- ing juvenile justice. The popular blog, which is linked to NCJFCJ’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, will serve as a platform for video of selected conference sessions. The blog, Barnette learned, also was a bonus
for those who did attend the conference, by helping initiate relationships between speakers and attendees in advance. “There was familiar- ity, even before [attendees] went to a session,” she said. “People were more engaged.” n — Barbara Palmer
JUDICIOUS: From left — NCJFCJ President- Judge R. Michael Key, former Oregon state Sen. Margaret Carter, and Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Douglas.