NJ Courts - Vicinage 13 Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren

We are looking for Volunteers for our Child Placement Boards and Juvenile Conference Committees in Warren and Hunterdon Counties. Log on to njcourts.com/volunteer for an application and more info.

Child Placement Review/Child Placement Advisory Council

The Child Placement Review (CPR) program is a key component of the court's role in the oversight of children in foster care. Groups of trained judicial volunteers, appointed by the assignment judge, assist the court in reviewing cases of children placed outside of their homes by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP). A volunteer is assigned to a CPR Board, consisting of about 5 volunteers, to review these cases.

CPR Boards conduct various reviews of children involved in "voluntary placement" cases. In such cases, DCPP has placed a child out of his or her home pursuant to a voluntary agreement signed by the parent but there is no allegation of abuse or neglect and DCPP has not filed a child abuse or neglect complaint case against the parent. In "litigated" cases, for which DCPP has filed a child abuse or neglect complaint, a CPR Board conducts one review to determine the progress made by DCPP in addressing the child's needs and any potential barriers to finding a safe, permanent home for the child. These litigated cases remain under the direct oversight of a judge.

In all cases, CPR Boards draft case-specific recommendations for the consideration of a judge. At CPR Board meetings, held at designated court facilities on a scheduled basis, the Board may interact with DCPP caseworkers or their supervisors, parents, foster parents, or other child welfare stakeholders.

CPR volunteers complete court-sponsored initial training upon appointment in addition to annual continuing education programs dealing with current child welfare issues, ensuring their meaningful participation in the child placement review process. Integral to the New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (CPAC) and its mission is the mandate to advise New Jersey’s three branches of government on the effectiveness of the Child Placement Review Act.  The 2014 CPAC Annual Report Recommendations for 2015 accomplishes this.

CPAC also holds training workshops and events on topics that are appropriate and relevant for CPR board volunteers.  CPAC will be hosting its 2015 Annual Training on May 7 at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick.  More information about this event is available via the Council’s “Save The Date” notice. 

A representative from each CPR Board statewide is selected annually to be a member of the New Jersey Child Placement Advisory Council (CPAC).

Juvenile Conference Committee

The Juvenile Conference Committees (JCCs) serve under the authority of the Family Division of Superior Court. A JCC is a six to nine member citizen volunteer panel appointed by the Family Division Judge. In a confidential setting, JCC panels hear and decide matters involving alleged juvenile offenders. The juvenile, parent(s) and or guardian(s) and complainant/victim are invited to discuss the offense and related matters with the Committee. The JCC considers the facts, and makes recommendations to the judge for a resolution that would aid in the juvenile's rehabilitation.

The program is designed to divert juveniles charged with first or second time minor offenses to their local JCC, which acts as a community-based arm of the Family Court. Program volunteers are required to complete mandatory program-specific training.

Courts are the most visible part of our legal system. Though many legal issues and disputes are never brought to the courthouse, each year approximately seven million new cases are filed in New Jersey's courts. In those cases, judges are called upon to decide disputes involving such diverse topics as criminal law, motor vehicle violations, divorce, and other family matters, wills, contracts, defective products, and of course our basic rights as Americans, such as freedom of speech. People set the agenda for New Jersey Courts through these cases, and it is through these cases that courts influence our lives.

The structure of New Jersey's court system is among the simplest in the nation. There are only a few basic types of courts in the state. Municipal courts, Tax Court, state Superior Court, which includes the trial courts, an Appellate Division and the New Jersey Supreme Court. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey is Stuart Rabner.