Hearing Officer Education Committee Reports

2023 State Roundtable Report

The 2023 Juvenile Court Hearing Officer Education Committee Report provides an overview of the Spring 2022 and Fall 2022 education sessions. An education session was held on June 2, 2022, with 48 Hearing Officers in attendance. The session’s topics included: The Intersect of Human Behavior & the Law, Kinship Care and ICPC, What Does your CPCMS Dependency Data Say, and Case Law Updates. The second education session was held on October 6, 2022, with 43 Hearing Officers in attendance. Topics for the session included: Autism and the Dependency Courts: Moving from Knowledge to Action, and Motivational Interviewing for Judges and Hearing Officers. Also, in October 2022, four new members were invited to join the Juvenile Court Hearing Officer Education Committee. The Committee is now more representative of the experiences of Hearing Officers statewide and has representation from most of the Leadership Roundtables. To view the report, click the picture to the right.

2022 State Roundtable Report

The 2022 Juvenile Court Hearing Officer Education Committee Report provides an overview of the Fall 2021 education session. The Office of Children and Families in the Courts collaborated with The National Capacity Building Center for Courts to deliver three Judicial Academies customized to reflect substantive Pennsylvania law on Reasonable Efforts. On October 7- 8, 2021, the Judicial Academy on Reasonable Efforts was held for Hearing Officers. This 1.5-day highly interactive and virtual academy provided instruction in the black letter law and the art of making reasonable efforts findings. During the academy, Hearing Officers had opportunities to apply gained knowledge and learn from peers across the state and nation.

Also, in the report, the Committee wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate ten years of education sessions being explicitly offered for Dependency Hearing Officers. In 2011, the State Roundtable commissioned the Committee to develop and hold an educational session for Hearing Officers. On November 9, 2011, the Juvenile Court Hearing Officer Education Committee held their first Hearing Officer Education Session, “Your Role as a Judicial Officer.” Since 2011, an additional 14 education sessions have been held specifically for Dependency Hearing Officers. To commemorate the past decade, the Committee created a timeline of milestones for Dependency Hearing Officers from 2011 to 2021. To view the report, click the picture to the right.

2021 State Roundtable Report

The 2021 Juvenile Court Hearing Officer Education Committee Report provides an overview of the Spring 2021 education session. On June 3, 2021, an education session was held virtually for the first time via Cisco WebEx, with 66 Hearing Officers in attendance. The session’s topics included: Child Safety Legal Analysis, Kinship Care & Child Placements with Emergency Caregivers, Drug Testing in Child Welfare, and Case Law Update. Given the pandemic and none of the primary Hearing Officers needing to complete six hours of instruction to remain in compliance with Pa.R.J.C.P. 1182(B), the decision was made not to hold any education sessions in 2020. To view the report, click the picture to the right.

2020 State Roundtable Report

The 2020 Juvenile Court Hearing Officer Education Committee Report provides an overview of the Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 education sessions. An education session was held on June 6, 2019, with 50 Hearing Officers in attendance. The session’s topics included: Reasonable Efforts, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and the intersect of Dependency Court and Autism. The second education session was held on October 3, 2019, with 41 Hearing Officers in attendance. Topics for the session included: Highlights of the Pennsylvania Dependency Benchbook, 3rd Edition, Best practices, and Alternatives to Congregate Care, Youth Panel of Former Residents of Congregate Care, and Case Law Update. To view the report, click the picture to the right.

2019 State Roundtable Report

The 2019 Juvenile Court Hearing Officer Education Committee Report provides an overview of the Fall 2018 education session, an explanation on why the Committee elected to move the Spring 2019 education session from April when it was typically held to June and an update on the Juvenile Court Procedural Rule 1182 Distance Education Training. To view the report, click the picture to the right.

2018 State Roundtable Report

The 2018 Juvenile Court Hearing Officer Education Committee Report provides several highlighted accomplishments.  The Committee conducted a survey related to the breadth of the work done by Hearing Officers at the mandatory Juvenile Court Procedural Rules 1182 Training held on June 6, 2017. The Committee provided content recommendations for the Juvenile Court Procedural Rules 1182 Distance Education Training for new Hearing Officers that is being created by the Office of Children and Families in the Courts. In addition, the Committee organized two education sessions.  An education session was held on October 4, 2017 with 28 Hearing Officers in attendance.  Topics for the session included: Talking with and Engaging Children in the Courtroom, Engagement Strategies in the Courtroom, Truancy and Educational Success: Recent Legislative Changes, Ethical Situations and Considerations in Dependency, and Case Law Updates. The second education session was held on April 6, 2018 with 40 Hearing Officers in attendance.  Topics for the session included: Road Map to Permanency, The Opioid Crisis in Pennsylvania, Drug and Alcohol Screening, Assessments & Level of Care, Medication Assisted Treatment & Recovery, and Ethical Situations and Considerations in Dependency. To view the report, click the picture to the right.

2017 State Roundtable Report

The 2017 Juvenile Court Hearing Officer Workgroup report highlights three accomplishments over the past year.  First, an educational session was held on September 14, 2016 with 45 Hearing Officers in attendance.  Topics for the session included: Child Welfare 101, Rules of Evidence in Dependency Proceedings, CPCMS and Court Observation, Truancy, Understanding Age and Developmentally Appropriate Activities, Prudent Parenting, APPLA and Case Law.  Next, a directory was created to allow Hearing Officers the opportunity to network and provide support to one another.  Finally, on April 6, 2017, a Supreme Court Order was signed amending the use of the term “Master,” used to describe an attorney presiding over dependency proceedings, to “Juvenile Court Hearing Officer.”  The spring education session, typically reported in this report, did not occur this year due to the mandatory Hearing Officer training, as per Rule of Juvenile Court Procedure 1182, held on June 6, 2017. Click the picture to the right to view the report.

2016 State Roundtable Report

The 2016 Hearing Officer Workgroup report provides an overview of two educational sessions held on September 9, 2015 and April 26, 2016.  Topics for these sessions included: Serving Older Youth, Standard of Practice for Attorneys, Family Finding, Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children and Case Law Updates.  This year’s report also asked for a uniform term to be used, when referring to Hearing Officers, in order to ensure consistency across the state.  Over the next year, the State Roundtable approved continued exploration of creating an association for Hearing Officers, along with a communication directory.  Furthermore, the committee will assist in creating the initial Hearing Officer training to meet the requirements of Juvenile Court Procedural Rule1182, effective August 1, 2017. Click the picture to the right to access the 2016 State Roundtable Report

2015 State Roundtable Report

“Hearing Officer Education” ~ a report to the State Roundtable.  The 2015 report provides several highlighted accomplishments for the Workgroup, including Workgroup efforts to develop and hold the Hearing Officer Education Session on September 3, 2014, which focused on Grief/Loss/Trauma, use of Kinship to reduce trauma, de-escalation in the workplace and case law updates.  In addition, the Workgroup added a second education session this year, held on April 22, 2015, immediately following the Children’s Roundtable Summit.  The focus of this Session included Hearing Officer practices across Pennsylvania and the difference between compliance versus progress.  This year also marked an exciting shift in ensuring Hearing Officer competency with the passing of Juvenile Court Procedural Rules 182 and 1182, signed by the Supreme Court on September 11, 2014.  The rules take effect for all Pennsylvania Hearing Officers on October 1, 2016. Click the picture to the right to view the full report.

2014 State Roundtable Report

“Hearing Officer Education” ~ a report to the State Roundtable.  The 2014 report provides a summary and overview of the Workgroup’s efforts to develop and hold the September 3, 2013 Education Session, which focused on Safety Analysis in decision making and recently passed Act 55, which included Family Finding.  This report also analyzes the results of the previously created survey for Judges and survey for Hearing Officers, which was administered to examine the practice of Hearing Officers across Pennsylvania. Click the picture to the right to view the full report.

2013 State Roundtable Report

“Hearing Officer Education” ~ a report to the State Roundtable.  The 2013 report summarizes the Workgroup efforts to develop a Hearing Officer Education Session for September 3, 2013.  In addition, the Workgroup provides an outline of two surveys being developed to determine Hearing Officer practices across Pennsylvania. Click the picture to the right to view the full report.

2012 State Roundtable Report

“Hearing Officer Education” ~ a report to the State Roundtable.  In this first report the State Roundtable, the Workgroup emphasizes the important role a Hearing Officer has in the lives of dependent children and their families.   A summary of Pennsylvania’s first ever Hearing Officer Education Session, held on November 9, 2011, is also highlighted within this report. Click the picture to the right to view the full report.