Center for Legal and Judicial Innovation and Advancement
Innovating for stronger courts and better outcomes for children and families
CLJIA partners with Court Improvement Programs (CIPs), judges, and attorneys to improve court practice in child welfare cases through tailored services, collaborative learning, and open resources that promote better outcomes for children and families.
The Center for Legal and Judicial Innovation and Advancement (CLJIA) is a national hub for strengthening court practice in child welfare proceedings.
CLJIA primarily supports State and Tribal Court Improvement Programs (CIPs) to advance their projects and priorities. In partnership with CIPs, the Center also offers targeted learning opportunities for the broader legal and judicial community to promote consistency and continuous improvement.
To strengthen court and legal practice in child welfare proceedings nationwide by partnering with State and Tribal Court Improvement Programs (CIPs) through tailored services that advance their projects, targeted learning opportunities developed with CIPs for judges and attorneys, and universal resources available to the broader legal and judicial community. Together, these efforts promote continuous improvement and better outcomes for children and families.
Tailored Services
CLJIA provides tailored support for State and Tribal Court Improvement Programs to help them design, implement, and evaluate projects that strengthen court practice and improve outcomes for children and families. Services may include, strategic planning, facilitation, coaching, data review and analysis, liaison and subject-matter expert support, and assistance with performance measurement and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI).
Targeted Learning and Collaboration
In partnership with CIPs, CLJIA develops Judicial and Attorney Academies and other focused learning experiences that build skills in hearing quality, reasonable efforts, safety decision-making, and effective advocacy. We convene constituency groups and collaborative workshops that connect judges, attorneys, and court teams to apply shared learning in their daily practice.
Resources and Products
CLJIA creates and curates open-access tools, data, and practice resources that help the broader legal and judicial community strengthen court processes and consistency.
Explore our resources
CIP Data Dashboard
A national dashboard that brings together CIP self-assessment results, court organization information, legal representation data, and jurisdiction profiles. The dashboard allows teams to compare approaches, identify peers working on similar priorities, track trends, and learn from effective strategies across states and tribes.
CIP Share
A library of tools, templates, guides, and practice profiles drawn from CIPs nationwide. CIPSHARE houses evidence-informed resources, examples of promising practice, and materials developed through CLJIA partnerships, all organized for easy access and cross-system learning.
Jcamp
JCAMP provides standardized performance measures and a process for implementing and tailoring the measures for courts, judges, and attorneys involved in child welfare cases. These measures help jurisdictions assess hearing quality, decision-making, legal advocacy, and overall court practice. CLJIA supports CIPs in using JCAMP to monitor progress, strengthen practice, and guide continuous quality improvement.
Cfsr
Resources that highlight findings from the federal Child and Family Services Reviews relevant to courts and legal professionals. These materials focus on key outcome areas where the legal and judicial community plays a critical role, including timely permanency, meaningful family engagement, maintaining connections, keeping families together, and support alignment between CFSR findings and Court Improvement Program (CIP) improvement efforts.
Using Title IV-E Funding to Strengthen Legal Representation in Child Welfare
In May 2024, the U.S. Children’s Bureau finalized a landmark regulation expanding opportunities for federal Title IV-E funding to support legal representation, prevention-focused legal services, and related legal and judicial training.
CLJIA’s new resource helps states and jurisdictions understand how to explore and expand the use of Title IV-E funding to improve access to justice for children, parents, kin, and tribes involved in the child welfare system.
Key Topics Covered:
✓ Understanding the Foster Care Legal Representation Rule
✓ Opportunities for federal matching funds
✓ Implementation considerations and best practices
✓ Strategies for improving legal representation quality
Who We Serve
CLJIA provides services to State and Tribal Court Improvement Programs (CIPs and TCIPs), supporting their projects and priorities through customized planning, analysis, facilitation, and continuous quality improvement.
In partnership with CIPs, we engage judges, attorneys, and court teams through services including targeted learning opportunities designed specifically to meet CIP-identified needs.
Our open, universal resources serve the broader legal and judicial community, promoting shared learning, consistent court practices, and improved outcomes across jurisdictions.