About
The Court Improvement Program (CIP) is funded by grants awarded to the Indiana Supreme Court from the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of the CIP is to improve safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes by:
- Assisting courts in carrying out state laws relating to Children in Need of Services and Termination of Parental Rights proceedings
- Enhancing collaboration between courts, the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS), and tribes
- Increasing child welfare expertise within the legal community and facilitating cross-training opportunities among agencies, tribes, courts, and other key stakeholders
- Supporting data collection, analysis, and information sharing between courts, DCS, and tribes
Child Welfare Improvement Committee
Current Initiatives
Grant & scholarship opportunities
Timeliness measures in child welfare cases
Education and training
Collaborative projects
The FFY 2025 grant application period has closed. The FFY 2026 grant application will be available in July 2026.
Jurist in Residence Program
- Learn about expert support for juvenile judges through this program
The Court Improvement Program (CIP) is pleased to contract with Certified Senior Judges Nancy Gettinger and Heather Mollo to serve as program Jurists in Residence (JIRs).
The JIRs are experts in juvenile law and provide targeted support to both CIP staff and juvenile Judicial Officers across the state. In addition to their work as Senior Judges, the JIRs support CIP and members of Indiana’s judiciary by providing mentorship and training, and participating in committees and special projects.
All services provided at no cost to individual judges or counties.
What JIRs Provide
- Mentorship & guidance
- Court observation & feedback
- Best practice consultation
- Docket management support
- Complex case assistance
- Court Improvement Projects
How JIRs Can Help
Personalized Mentorship
Direct guidance for both experienced and newly elected or appointed juvenile judicial officers navigating CHINS/TPR jurisdiction
Court Observation
Upon request, a JIR can observe proceedings and provide expert feedback
Practical Implementation
Receive technical assistance to enhance judicial decision making, implement local stakeholder initiatives, and streamline court dockets
Court Improvement
Assist with the development and implementation of CHINS-related court improvement projects, including docket coverage to allow judicial officers dedicated project time
Ask for a JIR to Help You
Fill out a short form to request help with your juvenile matters from a Jurist in Residence.
Reports & Resource Documents
FFY 2025/2026 grant reporting documents were provided to each subgrantee individually. Please email cip@courts.in.gov if you need additional copies.
- Essential Questions to Ask at Each Hearing to Promote Permanency
- Post-TPR Benchcard (child not in pre-adoptive home)
- Post-TPR Benchcard (child in a pre-adoptive home)
- Guidance for Incorporating Foster Parents & Other Caretakers in CHINS and TPR Hearings
- Strategies to Improve Time to Permanency
Performance Measures
The Child in Need of Services (CHINS) Performance Measures were established by Administrative Rule 1 (F) in order to track and measure court performance in CHINS and Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) cases. The performance measures are based on the guidelines of the federal Court Improvement Program and are a part of the requirements of the program. They also provide an opportunity for courts to check their own performance and timeliness in CHINS and TPR cases. Effective July 1, 2014, every court with CHINS jurisdiction is required to report quarterly on the performance measures.
The performance measures are:
- Time to permanent placement
- Time to first permanency hearing
- Time to the filing of the termination of parental rights petition
- Time to termination of parental rights
- Time to all subsequent permanency hearings.
- Time to adjudication
- Time to disposition
- Timeliness of disposition
- Timeliness of termination of parental rights
- Time from disposition to termination of parental rights
- Achievement of child permanency
- Children not reaching permanency
- Timeliness of first review hearing
- Timeliness of adoption petition
- Timelines of adoption proceedings
All data will be submitted through the CIP Performance Measures INcite application, including manual data submissions and Excel spreadsheets. If you have questions or need assistance with the CIP Performance Measures process, please contact cip@courts.in.gov.
Publications & Reports
Child Welfare Court Performance Measures - Interactive application
2024 Court Performance Measures Report
Contact
Jamie Devine, Administrator/Staff Attorney, Court Improvement Program
jamie.devine@courts.in.gov
Indiana Office of Court Services
251 N. Illinois Street, Suite 800
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-234-4164