II 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1554 

To amend the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 

to prevent later delinquency and improve the health and well-being of 

maltreated infants and toddlers through the development of local Court 

Teams for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers and the creation of a National Court Teams Resource Center to assist such Court Teams, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 31, 2009 

Mr. HARKIN (for himself, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. KERRY, and Mr. SCHUMER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

Act of 1974 to prevent later delinquency and improve 

the health and well-being of maltreated infants and toddlers through the development of local Court Teams for 

Maltreated Infants and Toddlers and the creation of 

a National Court Teams Resource Center to assist such 

Court Teams, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 1554 IS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safe Babies Act of 

3 2009’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds as follows: 

6 (1) Children 3 years of age and younger have 

7 the highest rates of victimization. Children under the 

8 age of 1 are nearly twice as likely as all other chil9 dren to become victims of child maltreatment while 

10 children ages 1 through 3 have the next highest rate 

11 of victimization. Children ages 3 and younger are 

12 also twice as likely to be placed in foster care as 

13 children of any other age. Once placed in foster care, 

14 children 3 years of age and younger are more likely 

15 than older children to be abused and neglected, and 

16 they tend to stay in foster care longer than older 

17 children. 

18 (2) Infants and toddlers are the most vulner19 able to the effects of maltreatment. Research shows 

20 that young children who have experienced physical 

21 abuse have lower social competence, show less empa22 thy for others, and have difficulty recognizing oth23 ers’ emotions. They are also more likely than chil24 dren who have not been maltreated to have deficits 

25 in IQ scores, language ability, and school perform26 ance. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 1554 IS

1 (3) Research shows that the human brain in2 creases in weight from 26 percent of its adult weight 

3 at birth to 74 percent by the age of 3. During those 

4 early years, the brain is developing most of its basic 

5 capacity, which substantially predicts future achieve6 ment or failure. Therefore, infants and toddlers who 

7 have been maltreated and placed in foster care are 

8 spending the most critical developmental period in 

9 situations that may be detrimental to healthy growth 

10 and development. 

11 (4) Substance abuse is a factor in as many as 

12 67 percent of child maltreatment cases. Every year, 

13 more than 2.6 million babies are born to mothers 

14 who drank alcohol during pregnancy and 40,000 of 

15 those babies are born displaying identifiable birth 

16 defects; thousands more suffer ill effects that are 

17 not readily apparent. More than 2 million children 

18 under 6 live with one or more alcoholic parents. 

19 Some 460,000 babies are exposed to illegal drugs in 

20 utero each year. Poly drug use is the rule rather 

21 than the exception, and users typically ingest alco22 hol, illegal, and prescription drugs. Thus, while re23 search has identified the effects of prenatal alcohol 

24 exposure, it is difficult to ascertain the effects of 

25 prenatal exposure to other specific substances (i.e., 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 1554 IS

1 methamphetamines, cocaine, and other illegal 

2 drugs). Alcohol is the only mood altering substance 

3 that is used in isolation from others and the effects 

4 have been well documented through the literature on 

5 fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Maternal substance 

6 abuse during pregnancy affects the health of the 

7 baby at birth and in the months and years that fol8 low. It contributes to preterm birth, low birth 

9 weight, developmental delays and disabilities. Active 

10 substance abuse by parents after birth can create a 

11 risk of imminent harm to a child. 

12 (5) Children under the age of 4 account for 78 

13 percent of child fatalities, and children under the 

14 age of 1 account for 44 percent of such fatalities. 

15 (6) Child welfare systems are not meeting the 

16 needs of the children who rely on public intervention 

17 to protect them. According to the first round of 

18 Child and Family Services Reviews completed by the 

19 Administration for Children and Families, no State 

20 had achieved all of the specified outcomes on the 

21 Child and Family Services Review indicators, and all 

22 of the States failed to meet the outcome related to 

23 the provision of physical and mental health services 

24 to children in foster care. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 1554 IS

1 (7) Judges can be powerful catalysts for change 

2 in the way communities address the needs of mal3 treated infants and toddlers. A project in the Juve4 nile Court of the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa has 

5 combined the leadership of a family court judge with 

6 expertise in early childhood development. Such col7 laboration is currently underway in other local juris8 dictions across the country, with many more seeking 

9 to create similar projects. These projects are work10 ing to ensure that mental health and parenting 

11 intervention services are provided for parents and 

12 children together. 

13 SEC. 3. COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED INFANTS AND 

14 TODDLERS. 

15 Title II of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Pre16 vention Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5611 et seq.) is amend17 ed— 

18 (1) by redesignating part F as part G; and 

19 (2) by inserting after part E the following new 

20 part: 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘PART F—COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED 

2 INFANTS AND TODDLERS 

3 ‘‘SEC. 271. COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED INFANTS AND 

4 TODDLERS PROGRAM ESTABLISHED. 

5 ‘‘The Administrator is authorized to establish a pro6 gram to create and provide technical assistance for local 

7 Court Teams for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers (re8 ferred to in this part as ‘Court Teams’) for the purpose 

9 of— 

10 ‘‘(1) promoting the well-being of maltreated in11 fants and toddlers and their families (including the 

12 special problems created by substance abuse, par13 ticularly alcohol and methamphetamine abuse); 

14 ‘‘(2) helping to prevent the recurrence of abuse 

15 and neglect of children; and 

16 ‘‘(3) promoting timely reunification of families 

17 or other successful permanency outcomes for mal18 treated infants and toddlers in foster care. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 272. NATIONAL COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED IN20 FANTS AND TODDLERS RESOURCE CENTER 

21 GRANT. 

22 ‘‘(a) GRANT AUTHORIZED.—The Administrator shall 

23 award a grant for the purpose of establishing a National 

24 Court Teams for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers Re25 source Center (referred to in this part as the National 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 1554 IS

1 Court Teams Resource Center) to carry out the activities 

2 set forth in section 273. 

3 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive the grant 

4 described in subsection (a), an entity shall be a national 

5 early childhood development organization, as defined in 

6 section 276, working in collaboration with a judicial train7 ing organization, as defined in section 276, that has— 

8 ‘‘(1) specific expertise in the development of in9 fants and toddlers; 

10 ‘‘(2) specific expertise in educating judges 

11 about child maltreatment; 

12 ‘‘(3) experience in incorporating the expertise 

13 described in paragraphs (1) and (2) into the judicial 

14 system to promote change in the way courts address 

15 cases involving maltreated infants and toddlers in 

16 foster care; and 

17 ‘‘(4) the capacity— 

18 ‘‘(A) to carry out the activities of the Na19 tional Court Teams Resource Center described 

20 in section 273; 

21 ‘‘(B) to support the implementation and 

22 activities of local Court Teams by providing the 

23 assistance required under this part; and 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘(C) to manage a competitive grant award 

2 process to select local communities wishing to 

3 establish a Court Team. 

4 ‘‘(c) GRANT DURATION.—The grant awarded under 

5 this part shall be— 

6 ‘‘(1) for a period of 5 years; and 

7 ‘‘(2) renewable at the discretion of the Adminis8 trator. 

9 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An early childhood develop11 ment organization desiring to receive the grant de12 scribed in subsection (a) shall submit an application 

13 to the Administrator, at such time, in such manner, 

14 and containing such information as the Adminis15 trator may require. 

16 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Such application shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) describe the expertise of the organiza18 tion and its collaborative partner in infant and 

19 toddler development and in judicial training, in20 cluding any experience relevant to their ability 

21 to oversee the implementation of local Court 

22 Teams, and their capacity to provide assistance 

23 to local Court Teams; 

24 ‘‘(B) include a detailed plan describing 

25 how the organization and its collaborative partVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:59 Aug 01, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1554.IS S1554

tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 1554 IS

1 ner will establish and maintain the National 

2 Court Teams Resource Center, and how they 

3 will carry out the activities of such Center, as 

4 described in section 273; 

5 ‘‘(C) explain the process that will be used 

6 to select local Court Teams to receive assistance 

7 under this part; 

8 ‘‘(D) demonstrate the ability of the organi9 zation and its collaborative partner to meet all 

10 the selection criteria, including— 

11 ‘‘(i) special expertise in the develop12 mental needs of children 3 years of age 

13 and younger; 

14 ‘‘(ii) a demonstrated record of pro15 viding resources to parents and other care16 givers regarding the healthy growth and 

17 development of their children; 

18 ‘‘(iii) a demonstrated record of pro19 viding resources for practitioners in the 

20 fields of child development, early child care 

21 and education, family support, pediatrics, 

22 child welfare, juvenile and family courts, 

23 and mental health; 

24 ‘‘(iv) extensive knowledge about how 

25 exposure to violence (including domestic viVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:59 Aug 01, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1554.IS S1554

tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 1554 IS

1 olence, community violence, and child mal2 treatment) influences the growth and de3 velopment of infants and toddlers; 

4 ‘‘(v) a documented history of collabo5 ration with public and private sector 

6 groups working to improve the lives of 

7 maltreated infants and toddlers, including 

8 collaboration with judges at the local and 

9 national level; 

10 ‘‘(vi) the capacity to analyze child wel11 fare policy at the local, State, and national 

12 levels and to offer research-based solutions 

13 to the problems confronting child welfare 

14 systems across the country; and 

15 ‘‘(vii) the ability to manage multiple 

16 complex national resource centers and re17 lated activities, including strategic plan18 ning, team building, infrastructure devel19 opment, training for multidisciplinary pro20 fessionals at all levels, materials develop21 ment for multiple audiences in a variety of 

22 formats, and conference planning and de23 livery at the local, State, regional, and na24 tional levels; and 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘(E) include any other information the Ad2 ministrator may require, including any assur3 ance required by the Administrator that the en4 tity, if selected, will give special consideration to 

5 applications that have a significant number of 

6 child welfare cases in the jurisdiction of the 

7 court over which the qualified judge presides in 

8 which substance abuse, and particularly meth9 amphetamine abuse, is involved. 

10 ‘‘(e) SELECTION OF GRANTEE.—In considering grant 

11 applications under this part, the Administrator shall select 

12 the early childhood development organization working in 

13 collaboration with a judicial training organization that 

14 demonstrates— 

15 ‘‘(1) the greatest ability to satisfy the criteria 

16 described in subsection (d)(4); and 

17 ‘‘(2) the most extensive experience in address18 ing the needs of abused and maltreated infants and 

19 toddlers through training and technical assistance 

20 provided to judges, multidisciplinary professionals 

21 and community leaders. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 273. NATIONAL COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED IN23 FANTS AND TODDLERS RESOURCE CENTER. 

24 ‘‘(a) GENERAL ACTIVITIES.—The national early 

25 childhood development organization working in collaboraVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:59 Aug 01, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1554.IS S1554

tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 1554 IS

1 tion with a judicial training organization that has received 

2 the grant authorized under section 272 shall establish and 

3 maintain a National Court Teams Resource Center, to 

4 carry out the following activities: 

5 ‘‘(1) Develop and carry out a process for select6 ing local Court Teams to receive assistance under 

7 this part that shall include— 

8 ‘‘(A) outreach to identify jurisdictions or 

9 communities wishing to establish Court Teams; 

10 ‘‘(B) letters of commitment to participate 

11 in a Court Team project containing the items 

12 described in section 274(a); 

13 ‘‘(C) a provision allowing for exceptions for 

14 alternative models of leadership to that de15 scribed in section 274(a) if such leadership 

16 would be more appropriate for meeting commu17 nity needs and the services of the Court Team 

18 are made available to local judges; and 

19 ‘‘(D) in selecting jurisdictions to partici20 pate, ensuring diversity of geographic location, 

21 population density, and types of problems af22 fecting the child welfare population. 

23 ‘‘(2) Conduct national meetings and training 

24 sessions for local Court Teams. 

25 ‘‘(3) Develop a database that shall be— 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘(A) available to each local Court Team to 

2 track such Court Team’s progress; and 

3 ‘‘(B) used by the National Court Teams 

4 Resource Center to facilitate continuous im5 provement of the local Court Teams receiving 

6 assistance under this part. 

7 ‘‘(4) Develop materials to guide qualified judges 

8 in the decisionmaking process regarding maltreated 

9 infants and toddlers, and to train members of local 

10 Court Teams and others in the community regarding 

11 the appropriate care of maltreated infants and tod12 dlers, including the importance of— 

13 ‘‘(A) placement stability; 

14 ‘‘(B) frequent parent-child visitation; 

15 ‘‘(C) services to reduce the recurrence of 

16 abuse and neglect; 

17 ‘‘(D) services to monitor and improve the 

18 health and well-being of infants and toddlers in 

19 foster care; 

20 ‘‘(E) timely permanent placement; 

21 ‘‘(F) concurrent planning; and 

22 ‘‘(G) implementing a comprehensive service 

23 delivery plan addressing the needs of children 

24 and parents at the proximate time of the 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 1554 IS

1 child(ren)’s removal from the care of their bio2 logical parents. 

3 ‘‘(5) Provide information to communities and 

4 courts around the country seeking to adopt the 

5 Court Teams approach, including information re6 lated to— 

7 ‘‘(A) the incorporation of knowledge about 

8 infant and toddler development into the resolu9 tion of cases by judges with jurisdiction over 

10 children in foster care; and 

11 ‘‘(B) methods to change State and local 

12 government systems to better address the needs 

13 of infants and toddlers in foster care and their 

14 families. 

15 ‘‘(6) Any other activity necessary to provide the 

16 assistance required under subsection (b). 

17 ‘‘(b) ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL COURT TEAMS.—Assist18 ance provided to local Court Teams by the National Court 

19 Teams Resource Center shall include— 

20 ‘‘(1) providing direction, coordination, and over21 sight of the implementation of local Court Teams, as 

22 needed; 

23 ‘‘(2) providing a local Community Coordinator 

24 for each local Court Team, who shall— 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘(A) serve as a resource for child develop2 ment expertise for the local Court Team; and 

3 ‘‘(B) promote coordination (in the jurisdic4 tion of the court over which the Judicial Leader 

5 presides) between— 

6 ‘‘(i) community agencies that serve in7 fants and toddlers and their families; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) providers of resources to support 

9 maltreated infants and toddlers and their 

10 families; 

11 ‘‘(3) providing training and technical assistance 

12 to local Court Teams, including— 

13 ‘‘(A) individual consultation; 

14 ‘‘(B) networking assistance; 

15 ‘‘(C) development and dissemination of 

16 training materials, including fact sheets, tem17 plate forms, and sample operational materials 

18 developed for local Court Teams; and 

19 ‘‘(D) training for local Court Teams re20 lated to— 

21 ‘‘(i) the impact of abuse and neglect 

22 on infants and toddlers; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) improved decisionmaking by 

24 courts regarding maltreated infants and 

25 toddlers to reduce the recurrence of abuse 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 1554 IS

1 and neglect and improve developmental 

2 outcomes; and 

3 ‘‘(4) organizing local training for community 

4 members of jurisdictions in which local Court Teams 

5 are located, which shall relate to the particular needs 

6 of infants and toddlers exposed to maltreatment and 

7 trauma, including topics such as— 

8 ‘‘(A) general infant and toddler develop9 ment; 

10 ‘‘(B) the impact of abuse and neglect on 

11 development; 

12 ‘‘(C) a continuum of relationship-based 

13 mental health services for parents and children 

14 together; 

15 ‘‘(D) best practices in parent-child contact 

16 (visitation); 

17 ‘‘(E) evidence-based parenting interven18 tions; and 

19 ‘‘(F) services available to foster children in 

20 the community. 

21 ‘‘SEC. 274. LOCAL COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED IN22 FANTS AND TODDLERS ESTABLISHED. 

23 ‘‘(a) ELIGIBILITY AND LETTER OF COMMITMENT.— 

24 An entity eligible for receiving assistance made available 

25 under this part shall consist of at least 1 qualified judge 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
17 

•S 1554 IS

1 to serve as Judicial Leader of the Court Team together 

2 with an official of the local child welfare agency who sub3 mit a letter of commitment to participate in the Court 

4 Team project including the following information: 

5 ‘‘(1) A commitment to work with the Commu6 nity Coordinator provided through the National 

7 Court Teams Resource Center, to form a team of 

8 community agencies serving infants and toddlers and 

9 their families in the jurisdiction, and carry out the 

10 activities set forth in this section. 

11 ‘‘(2) In the case of a community applying for 

12 an exception under section 273(a)(1)(C), a descrip13 tion of the proposed alternative leadership model, 

14 the reasons such a model better meets community 

15 needs, and the manner in which the services of the 

16 Court Team will be made available to a court pre17 sided over by a qualified judge. 

18 ‘‘(3) A description of the population of mal19 treated infants and toddlers in the community within 

20 the jurisdiction of the court over which the qualified 

21 judge presides, including— 

22 ‘‘(A) any problems contributing to the 

23 placement of maltreated infants and toddlers 

24 under the supervision of the court (including 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
18 

•S 1554 IS

1 the impact of parental substance abuse, and 

2 particularly methamphetamine abuse); and 

3 ‘‘(B) any challenges faced by the court in 

4 making decisions that are in the best interests 

5 of such maltreated infants and toddlers. 

6 ‘‘(4) Information regarding the jurisdiction’s 

7 previous efforts, if any, of implementing best prac8 tices through participation in local or national court 

9 improvement initiatives; and 

10 ‘‘(5) Any additional information required by the 

11 National Court Teams Resource Center. 

12 ‘‘(b) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—A local Court Team 

13 receiving assistance under this part shall carry out the fol14 lowing activities: 

15 ‘‘(1) Conduct monthly case reviews of each case 

16 handled by the local Court Team, in which all indi17 viduals and organizations involved in a case meet to 

18 review progress in such case, and to monitor and 

19 track referral to, delivery of, and barriers to, serv20 ices for maltreated infants and toddlers and their 

21 families. 

22 ‘‘(2) Implement best practices in child welfare 

23 cases including concurrent planning, reducing place24 ment changes, frequent child-parent contact, com25 prehensive service delivery plans at the time of reVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:59 Aug 01, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1554.IS S1554

tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
19 

•S 1554 IS

1 moval, pre-removal conferences, and kinship place2 ments. 

3 ‘‘(3) Incorporate child-focused services into case 

4 plans for maltreated infants and toddlers, including 

5 services such as medical, developmental, and mental 

6 health interventions and, as appropriate, services for 

7 children and parents together. 

8 ‘‘(4) Organize the provision of local training 

9 (provided by the National Court Teams Resource 

10 Center) to community members of the jurisdiction in 

11 which the local Court Team is located, including 

12 court officials, child welfare agencies, attorneys, 

13 Guardians Ad Litem, court-appointed special advo14 cates, and other individuals and organizations pro15 viding services to infants and toddlers in foster care. 

16 ‘‘(5) Identify areas in the community in need of 

17 improved mental health and substance abuse treat18 ment, and assist the National Court Teams Re19 source Center in improving mental health treatment 

20 for parents and children together, and substance 

21 abuse treatment for families (including mothers and 

22 children), as needed. 

23 ‘‘(6) Prioritize after-care services that connect 

24 families to their communities after their discharge 

25 from formal child welfare system involvement. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
20 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘(7) Utilize resource materials disseminated by 

2 the National Court Teams Resource Center to guide 

3 judges in the decisionmaking process regarding mal4 treated infants and toddlers, and to provide training 

5 for Court Team members. 

6 ‘‘(8) Participate in the national evaluation con7 ducted by the Administrator in accordance with sec8 tion 275, to determine the extent to which the activi9 ties of the local Court Team reduce the recurrence 

10 of abuse and neglect and improve health and devel11 opmental outcomes for maltreated infants and tod12 dlers. 

13 ‘‘(c) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A local Court re14 ceiving assistance under this part may carry out the fol15 lowing activities: 

16 ‘‘(1) Developing processes for responding to pa17 rental substance abuse, such as— 

18 ‘‘(A) coordinating with local law enforce19 ment agencies to allow rapid response teams to 

20 intervene quickly on behalf of infants and tod21 dlers who are identified by law enforcement per22 sonnel as being present during illegal activities 

23 related to methamphetamines or other illegal 

24 substances; and 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
21 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘(B) establishing and maintaining relation2 ships with substance abuse treatment programs 

3 to increase access to treatment for parents of 

4 maltreated infants and toddlers. 

5 ‘‘(2) Identifying community needs related to 

6 early childhood mental health services, and meeting 

7 those needs by utilizing training provided by the Na8 tional Court Teams for Infants and Toddlers Re9 source Center on child-parent psychotherapy. 

10 ‘‘(3) Any other activities that help meet the 

11 needs and improve the health and developmental 

12 outcomes of maltreated infants and toddlers in fos13 ter care. 

14 ‘‘SEC. 275. DATA COLLECTION, REPORTS, AND EVALUA15 TIONS. 

16 ‘‘(a) DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTS.—The Na17 tional Court Teams Resource Center shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) establish a uniform data collection system 

19 that shall be used to periodically collect from local 

20 Court Teams data related to the operation and out21 comes of the projects; 

22 ‘‘(2) compile such data annually and report to 

23 the Administrator; and 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
22 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘(3) in devising such data collection system, 

2 consult with the organization awarded a contract 

3 under subsection (b). 

4 ‘‘(b) EVALUATION.—The Administrator shall conduct 

5 a national evaluation over the course of the grant period 

6 of the effectiveness of local Court Teams in— 

7 ‘‘(1) linking children and families to appro8 priate services and supports that expedite perma9 nency and assist families in successful child-rearing 

10 following case closure; 

11 ‘‘(2) reducing the recurrence of abuse and ne12 glect; 

13 ‘‘(3) promoting timely permanent placements of 

14 maltreated infants and toddlers; and 

15 ‘‘(4) reducing costs through system improve16 ments. 

17 ‘‘(c) REPORTS TO CONGRESS BY THE ADMINIS18 TRATOR.—At the end of the 3-year period beginning on 

19 the date of the enactment of this part, and again at the 

20 end of the 5-year period beginning on such date of enact21 ment, the Administrator shall submit a report to Congress 

22 addressing the implementation and effectiveness of the 

23 Court Teams, including— 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
23 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘(1) a compilation of the data on local Court 

2 Teams included in the annual report from the Na3 tional Court Teams Resource Center; and 

4 ‘‘(2) interim or final results from the national 

5 evaluation of Court Teams. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 276. DEFINITIONS. 

7 ‘‘For the purposes of this part: 

8 ‘‘(1) COURT-APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATE.— 

9 The term ‘court-appointed special advocate’ means 

10 an individual who is trained by a recognized court11 appointed special advocate program and appointed 

12 by a court to advocate for the best interests of chil13 dren who come into the court system primarily as a 

14 result of abuse or neglect. 

15 ‘‘(2) COURT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.—The 

16 term ‘Court Improvement Program’ means a pro17 gram authorized under section 438 of the Social Se18 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 629h). 

19 ‘‘(3) GUARDIAN AD LITEM.—The term ‘Guard20 ian Ad Litem’ means an attorney or court-appointed 

21 special advocate who is appointed by a court to ad22 vocate for the best interests of children who come 

23 into the court system primarily as a result of abuse 

24 or neglect. 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
24 

•S 1554 IS

1 ‘‘(4) JUDICIAL EDUCATION ORGANIZATION.— 

2 The term ‘judicial education organization’ means an 

3 organization whose mission includes the provision of 

4 training and technical assistance to juvenile and 

5 family court judges. 

6 ‘‘(5) KINSHIP PLACEMENT.—The term ‘kinship 

7 placement’ means placement of a child with mem8 bers of the child’s extended family, biologically or 

9 emotionally related to the child. 

10 ‘‘(6) MALTREATED INFANT OR TODDLER.—The 

11 term ‘maltreated infant or toddler’ means any child 

12 3 years of age or younger who is the victim of a sub13 stantiated case of physical abuse, neglect, medical 

14 neglect, sexual abuse, or emotional abuse. 

15 ‘‘(7) NATIONAL EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOP16 MENT ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘national early 

17 childhood development organization’ means a na18 tional nonprofit organization— 

19 ‘‘(A) that is dedicated to supporting the 

20 healthy development and well-being of infants, 

21 toddlers, and their families; and 

22 ‘‘(B) that has the capacity for research, 

23 training, information dissemination, and leader24 ship development in all of the professional disVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:59 Aug 01, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1554.IS S1554

tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
25 

•S 1554 IS

1 ciplines related to infants and toddlers 3 years 

2 of age and younger. 

3 ‘‘(8) QUALIFIED JUDGE.—The term ‘qualified 

4 judge’ means a judge who presides over a court that 

5 has jurisdiction over children in foster care, such as 

6 a judge for a dependency, juvenile, or family court.’’. 

7 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 Section 299 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

9 Prevention Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5671) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 

11 (A) in the header, by striking ‘‘Parts C 

12 and E)’’ and inserting ‘‘Parts C, E, and F)’’; 

13 and 

14 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘parts C 

15 and E)’’ and inserting ‘‘parts C, E, and F)’’; 

16 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub17 section (e); and 

18 (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol19 lowing new subsection: 

20 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR

21 PART F.—There are authorized to be appropriated to 

22 carry out part F $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010, 

23 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.’’. 

Æ 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS