Family and Youth Justice Programs emphasize trauma-informed training and lived experience after Keeping Families Together Act

Speakers described initiatives by the Administrative Office of the Courts' Family and Youth Justice Programs to change how dependency courts handle abuse and neglect cases, emphasizing trauma-informed training, inclusion of people with lived experience, and a focus on reunification when safe.

Kelly Warner-King, manager of Family and Youth Justice Programs, said the office works with "all 39 dependency courts across the state" and discussed programs that bring science, data, and lived stories into judicial training. She said the Court Improvement Training Academy helped convene stakeholders and that lived experts and parents were intentionally included in program design.

Warner-King described what she called the "science of hope," explaining the approach is to bring people into services "at their lowest point" and to address co-occurring issues such as substance use, poverty, and trauma so families have a path toward reunification. She relayed parents' testimony that they "felt seen" and that supports helped them make traction on their cases.

Speakers also referenced the legislative context: "A few years ago, our legislature passed what we call the Keeping Families Together Act," and said the office created guidance to help judges weigh the harms of removal against threats to child safety. Presenters emphasized trauma-informed guidance co-designed with judicial officers to improve consistency across courts.

The remarks focused on training and guidance rather than new regulations or funding announcements. Participants framed the work as statewide capacity-building intended to reduce the number of dependency filings and better serve families already in the system.