The Supreme Court announced Directive # 03-21, available here. That Directive supersedes Directive # 18-17. The new Directive “promulgates a revised set of Children in Court (CIC) standards as approved by the Supreme Court.”
The standards themselves have been revised in various ways, as described in the Directive. Three appeal-related documents– the Acknowledgement of Appeal Rights Form (CN 11553), the Advisory Notice to Parents and Counsel When Parental Rights are Terminated (CN 10317), and the Appellate Division’s Administrative Protocol for termination of Parental Rights Appeals– have been “reissued without modification.” The Judgment of Guardianship Order (CN 10625) has been revised “to address scenarios in which the court does not terminate parental rights or terminates the rights of only one parent.” All of the documents referred to in the new Directive, whether revised or not, are attached to the Directive, making it an easy reference source for those involved in Children in Court matters.
While our judges, as a class, are dedicated and hard-working, those who handle Children in Court matters deserve special recognition. Those cases are often heart-wrenching, and they call for wise practical as well as legal judgment. The revised standards attempt to enhance the efforts of those judges in these challenging cases.