Prior to the assessment, NCJFCJ staff conducted a Trauma-Informed Court Training for about six people, which included the judge, court staff, and social services staff. Over the course of the two-day assessment, site visit activities involved observation of court facilities, including building exterior and interior entrances, waiting areas, a n d courtroom. The assessment staff also observed Healing to Wellness case staffing, as well as hearings on both dependency and Healing to Wellness dockets. These observations focused primarily on (a) environment, (b) processes/practices, and (c) interactions between and with petitioners and system stakeholders. Lastly, NCJFCJ staff conducted focus groups/interviews with a variety of stakeholder groups. These included: prosecuting attorneys; parent and children attorneys; social services staff; and therapists. There were approximately 20 people interviewed. In addition, staff had the opportunity to have debrief conversations with both the court administrator and judge throughout the visit.
A report was written and presented in draft form to the judge. A conversation took place with the judge and then the report was finalized to be shared with stakeholders. As part of the report, the court was provided the result of the pre-visit survey, which was answered by 26 people. The answers were analyzed and also included in the section of the report that discussed the stakeholder interviews. One purpose of the pre-visit survey is to include input from stakeholders who are unable to take part in the focus groups. For those who were able to participate in the stakeholder focus groups, the pre-visit survey offered them another way to share their thoughts and concerns.
The report included observations and recommendations based on the stakeholder interviews, court observation, and environmental observations. NCJFCJ made recommendations for the court to encourage children to appear in court, to improve security measures and privacy by rethinking the layout of the building including office space and entrances, and to form an internal stakeholder group around specific topics related to court practices and relationship building. In addition, NCJFCJ staff recommended the court look to nearby tribal and non-tribal communities for resources and support around integrating collaborative efforts into the court.
As far as next steps, NCJFCJ staff will remain available to the Court to debrief, plan, and support implementation of their next steps toward becoming more trauma-responsive. As funding allows, this could include facilitating onsite action planning, offering onsite training, providing on-site and/or off-site technical assistance, or designing a data collection and evaluation plan. In addition, NCJFCJ staff will provide the Court with updates on major developments in trauma-informed care relevant to the work of courts.
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Programmatic GAN was approved by the BJA
the 3-day event occurred -
Agenda:
Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa Tribe of Chippewa Indians Tribal Court
Trauma Informed Court Training and Trauma Assessment
March 12-14, 2019
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
3:00 p.m. Trauma Informed Court Presentation
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Tour of Courthouse
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Trauma Assessment Activities:
Court observation: Courtrooms 9:45-11:45 a.m.
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Trauma Assessment Activities:
Focus groups with stakeholders:
Group I: Department of Social Services 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Group II: GAL’s, parents attorneys, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Group III: Probation Officers 3:30-4:00 p.m.
Court Observation 4:15-5:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Trauma Assessment Activities:
Focus Group – Behavioral Health 9:30-10:00 a.m.
Court observation (Drug Court) 10:00-12:00 p.m.
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Focus groups – Law Enforcement 1:30-2:00 p.m.
Clerk’s Office and Court Staff 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Prosecutors 3:00-3:30 p.m.
The trauma assessment summarizing the event, the current state of the court and staff observations and recommendations for making the court more trauma informed was completed by NCJFCJ
NAICJA staff submitted the programmatic GAN for the on-site training
Sault Ste Marie and NCJFCJ confirm assessment date
NCJFCJ sent out a pre-visit survey to help them prepare for their assessment
NCJFCJ finalized the agenda with tribe
The final assessment created by NCJFCJ was sent to the Tribal Judge for review
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