(ANNAPOLIS, MD— January 21, 2005) The American Bar Association’s evaluation of Maryland’s Foster Care Court Improvement Project (FCCIP) identified many of the project’s accomplishments, while also suggesting positive next steps for improvement. The FCCIP is a federal grant-based program of the Maryland Judiciary with the purpose of improving the processing of child abuse and neglect cases by the Maryland juvenile courts.

The evaluation, conducted at the request of the FCCIP, assessed the project’s accomplishments since a 1997 assessment recommended changes in the processing of Maryland Child in Need of Assistance (CINA), Termination of Parental Rights (TPR), and adoption cases.

The report was completed in June 2004 and published for distribution in December. It was sent to the federal government in the interim for review and permission to move forward with implementation of the next steps. In the evaluation, the ABA praised the FCCIP’s work in drafting the CINA statute which the legislature passed in 2001, planning and presenting educational programs and conferences for judges, masters, and lawyers, developing specific guidelines for lawyers representing children in abuse and neglect cases which were adopted in 2001 by the Court of Appeals, and instituting a computer system statewide for gathering data on all pending CINA and TPR cases.

Among the ABA’s suggestions were that the FCCIP provide additional training for judges on uniform court orders, ensure that courts conduct orientation programs, develop uniform standards of representation for agency and parents’ counsel, and improve the reliability of the database system.
“The accomplishments of the FCCIP could not have been realized without the dedication of the project staff and the volunteer effort of over 50 judges, masters, lawyers, court clerks, and 
agency representatives,” said Montgomery Circuit Court Judge Patrick L. Woodward, chair of 
the FCCIP Implementation Committee. “Their perseverance, expertise, and commitment have 
enabled the FCCIP to make significant progress in helping the Maryland courts in their handling of child abuse and neglect cases.”

“Overall the Maryland FCCIP has achieved many great successes and has provided training, support, and assistance to all of the key players in the child welfare system throughout Maryland,” the Executive Summary said. “Based on the evaluation conducted by the ABA, most of the recommendations of the 1997 Report have been achieved, but as always in the child welfare arena, there is more work to be done.”

Additional details are included on the attached summary of the report. For more information, please call the Court Information Office at 410/260-1488.