House Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #58 Model Dependency Court Pilot Projects
Requester:	Judge Ross & Swigert		Organization:		17th and 5th Judicial Circuit Courts of Florida
Project Title:	Model Dependency Court Pilot Projects		Date Submitted:		01/14/2000 11:04:37 AM
District Member:	Steven Effman		Service Area:		County
Counties Affected:	Broward, Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Sumter
Recipient:	17th and 5th Judicial Circuit Courts of Florida		Contact:		Carol Lee Ortman
	201 S.E. 6th St./110 N.W. 1st Ave.		Contact Phone:		(954) 831-7741
	Ft. Lauderdale/Ocala 34475 33301
Project Description:
The projects will create an optimally functioning, child-focused model dependency court program which supplements the use of judges with magistrate, professional and administrative personnel, together with a user-friendly case management system. The goal is to create the least cost, most effective dependency court system to safeguard the best interests of dependent children and minimize the amount of time children spend in out-of-home placement.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
The state will benefit with a model system which is efficient and cost-effective in meeting the moral and statutory obligations to minimize the time in which children remain in dependent status. The system will use professional and administrative resources to bolster and assist existing judges, rather than simply adding more judges. This is expected to prove cost-effective and provide for the best assessment of dependency cases to assist judges in making the safest decisions for dependent children. This should also benefit DCF caseworkers in minimizing the time they spend in the courthouse, freeing them to spend more time in the field with dependent children, foster families and so forth.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
The projects are expected to result in more timely handling of dependency cases. For example, based on inadequate resources, in most cases the 17th Judicial Circuit is currently well-over the statutory maximum of 12 months to achieve finalization of dependency cases. The courts should also be better positioned to safeguard dependent childre. In at least the 17th Circuit, this should help alleviate the tragic realities currently at issue in the case of Ward, et al. v. Kearney, et al.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$1,774,000
Total cost of the project:		$1,774,000

Request has been made to fund:			Operations
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?					No
Was this project previously funded by the State?					No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?					Yes
	Amount:	$1,774,000
	Purpose for future year funding:			Recurring Operations
	Will this be an annual request?				Yes
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?					Yes
	Agency:	State Court System
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?					Yes
Is there a documented need for this project?					Yes
	Documentation:	Broward Grand Jury Report and pleadings in the case of Ward, et al. v. Kearney, et al.
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?					Yes
	Hearing Body:	Broward County Legislative Delegation
	Meeting Date:	12/14/1999