Judicial Training on Child Maltreatment for Court Personnel Juvenile Justice Programs

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention funds training and technical assistance to improve judicial handling of child abuse, neglect, and related cases through CFDA 16.757, with the most recent grant award disbursed on October 1, 2024.

This program supports the development and delivery of training, technical assistance, and system reforms for judicial officers, court personnel, attorneys, and multidisciplinary teams in juvenile and family courts. Funded activities include developing evidence-based court procedures for coordinating information and services in child abuse and neglect cases; providing specialized training on handling families impacted by opioids, commercial sexual exploitation, and sex trafficking; implementing administrative improvements in court processes; and delivering onsite and virtual technical assistance to state and tribal courts. Recent awards have funded the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to develop model approaches for coordinated case management and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys to create training and resources for investigating and prosecuting cases involving children victimized in systems care.

All six awards in the program's recent portfolio are Cooperative Agreements. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has funded five of six awards totaling $24.9 million in federal dollars obligated, with the remaining award of $15.2 million obligated by the broader Office of Justice Programs. Combined federal dollars obligated across all recent awards total $40.2 million. Individual award amounts have ranged from approximately $2 million to $7.7 million. The program maintains irregular but consistent award cadence: one award each in 2011, 2015, and 2018, followed by one in 2021 and two in 2024.

Recent open solicitations have closed. The FY24 Child Abuse Training for Judicial and Court Personnel opportunity (due June 10, 2024) and the FY24 Child Victimization and Juvenile Justice Prosecution Training and Technical Assistance opportunity (due July 18, 2024) have both passed. Earlier FY22 and FY23 solicitations were designated "Invited to Apply," suggesting selective eligibility. Applicant type restrictions have varied; recent closed opportunities specified "Other" applicant categories, while earlier listings allowed for-profit organizations, nonprofits, and higher education institutions to apply subject to statutory eligibility criteria. No current open opportunity is present in the source.