Mo. Supreme Court recognizes Greene Co. Juvenile Courts for timely hearings

SPRINGFIELD, MO — For most people, months may pass relatively unnoticed. A few months to a 3-year-old, however, can seem like a lifetime, especially when they are missing home.

That’s why Greene County’s 31st Judicial Circuit makes it a priority to quickly place children in permanent homes during child abuse and neglect cases, said Presiding Judge Michael Cordonnier.

The circuit’s diligence hasn’t gone unnoticed.

For the fifth time, the Missouri Supreme Court has honored the 31st Judicial Circuit with the state’s 2017 Permanency Award, which recognizes circuits for their excellence in timely hearings in child abuse and neglect cases in which children are removed from their homes.

This year’s 19 Permanency Award honorees achieved either 100 percent timeliness each quarter or an average of 100 percent annually to qualify.

Greene County also won the award in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016.

Cordonnier said the state’s timeliness standards are in place for protection and to ensure stability in the lives of children already experiencing an inordinate amount of stress.

“Children come into the Juvenile Court through no fault of their own because they had been abused or neglected,” he said. “They need the court to place them in a safe, stable and permanent home as quickly as possible.”

The courts follow hearing time frame recommendations set forth by the Commission on Children’s Justice, which applies to six types of hearings and varies depending on the hearing.

For example, when a child is taken into protective custody, an initial hearing must be held within three business days; the allegations must be proven within 60 days and a disposition entered within 90 days.

If the child remains in protective custody, the court must hold periodic reviews until the child is reunited with his or her natural parents, is adopted or another permanent placement is made.

Greene County, with 2,554 timely hearings in the last year, is one of few circuits holding 100 percent of hearings on time, said Juvenile Court Administrator Bill Prince. Statewide, 96 percent of some 52,000 cases were held on time.

Collaboration, he said, is key to meeting those standards.

“This award is a testament to the leadership and hard work of judges, juvenile officers, clerks, Children’s Division workers, Court Appointed Special Advocates and other support staff who work every day to protect and ensure stability for children who suffer from abuse and neglect,” he said.

Greene County’s Juvenile Court implements a number of programs to achieve permanency for children who come under its jurisdiction, including the Residential Review Permanency Docket, which reduces the number of youth in residential care; Red to Green Hearings, which prioritize slower moving cases; and Teens in Transition (T-N-T) Docket, which addresses needs of older youth in foster care.

For more information, contact Juvenile Court Administrator Bill Prince at 417-829-6127 or Bill.Prince@courts.mo.gov.