The Court Improvement Training Academy (CITA) is a new program designed to create a learning community comprised of judges, lawyers and other professionals involved in the juvenile court dependency process. This learning community will bring together innovative research and practical solutions to improve the operations and decision making in courts deciding actions under Washington’s juvenile dependency statute (RCW ch. 13.34).
A part of the Children and Youth Advocacy Clinic at the University of Washington School of Law, CITA is funded by a grant of federal Court Improvement Project money administered by the Washington Administrative Office of the Courts. CITA seeks individuals dedicated to child welfare law who will help create learning opportunities centered around innovative interdisciplinary research and practical solutions to everyday problems faced in child welfare law.
In addition to projects independently undertaken by CITA, the academy is looking for opportunities to partner with existing training efforts to enhance the overall quality and quantity of training available on issues vital to the welfare of children and families in the child welfare legal system. CITA is currently in the process of surveying the training needs of the child welfare legal community and is seeking input from anyone interested in the project.
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Tim Jaasko-Fisher is the director of CITA. He may be reached at 206-616-7784 or tjfisher@u.washington.edu.
