ECC Referral Procedure
Cases shall be identified and referred to Early Childhood Court for eligibility in several ways including, but not limited to:
- Review of Shelter and/or Dependency Petitions by Judges, and/or court staff for Early Childhood Court.
- By referral from the Department of Children and Families (DCF)/Children’s Legal Services, an attorney of record for a parent, the lead case management agency, any agency staff, DCF staff, court staff, and the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office.
An Early Childhood Court Referral Form must be completed and submitted to the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Early Childhood Court Coordinator and/or designee for Early Childhood Court for consideration via e-mail.
Screening Procedure
Upon identifying an eligible case for transfer to Early Childhood Court, a screening process shall commence.
The Early Childhood Court Program Coordinator will gather all available relevant information, documents, evaluations, pleadings, etc. that will be considered by the multidisciplinary team to review. The multidisciplinary team will then make an eligibility recommendation to the Early Childhood Court Judge on the suitability of a case being accepted and transferred into the Early Childhood Court.
The Early Childhood Court Judge shall review the case and any relevant information available about the family and determine if an invitation shall be extended to the family to participate in the Early Childhood Court.
If the Early Childhood Court Judge determines that an invitation to participate in the Early Childhood Court shall be made, the Early Childhood Court Program Coordinator shall communicate with the parent’s attorneys to advise that the case has been identified as a case that has been invited to participate in the Early Childhood Court. The parent’s attorney shall discuss the invitation with the parent to determine if a parent is interested in voluntarily participating in Early Childhood Court and assess the parent’s willingness, desire, and ability to engage in all terms and conditions, including, but not limited to, frequent monthly therapeutic appointments, family time visitation, family team meetings, and court hearings. The parent’s attorney shall then advise the Early Childhood Court Program Coordinator of the parent’s decision.
Cases will be transferred to the Early Childhood Court via a court order, at the discretion of the Early Childhood Court Judge, upon conclusion of the screening process and agreement of the participating parent.