From the Rutherford County Juvenile Court to the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts

Stacy Lynch has joined the Tennessee Administrative Workplace of the Courts as their new Courtroom Enchancment Program (CIP) Director. Lynch involves the AOC from the Juvenile Courtroom of Rutherford County, the place she was a accomplice within the regulation workplace of Hull, Ray, Rieder, Ewell, Lane & Lynch, PC in Tullahoma and a part-time Justice of the Peace for the Juvenile Courtroom of Rutherford County, presiding over the Household Preservation Initiative (FPI).

“I’m so excited concerning the alternative to be working as the brand new Director of the Courtroom Enchancment Program and to work with the AOC,” Lynch stated. “Over the past a number of years throughout my work with the therapy courts, I had the pleasure of working with Leslie Kinkead, Michelle Consiglio-Younger, Stephanie Etheridge and Juvenile Courtroom Judges all through the State. I at all times discovered every of them to be educated, useful and welcoming. It was not till I realized of Leslie’s retirement and this chance that I spotted the extent of help that the CIP supplied to juvenile courts, attorneys, judges and the kid welfare system as a complete.”

As CIP Director, Lynch will proceed to focus the CIP staff targets of enhancing high quality courtroom hearings, enhancing high quality authorized illustration, enhancing the entry and evaluation of juvenile courtroom information, and collaborating with Division of Youngsters’s Providers (DCS) to enhance the well-being of youngsters in care. She is going to oversee the CIP grant funds and software course of, reply questions regarding juvenile legal guidelines and procedures, and monitor statutory modifications affecting youth and households.

“My ardour is working with households and youth, and I imagine different approaches to the intense points these most weak members of our communities face in our present judicial system have to be utilized,” Lynch stated. “This place offers me the chance to share my expertise and information and impact actual change.”

Objectives: The objective of the Courtroom Enchancment Program is to equip and empower Tennessee youngster welfare stakeholders, together with youth and households with lived experiences, attorneys, judges and the kid welfare company; and to enhance programs and processes that help the security, well-being and permanency of Tennessee youngsters and households with, or in danger for, youngster welfare involvement. Lynch has much more particular targets in thoughts, together with rising the communication between herself as a consultant of the CIP and every of the juvenile courts all through the state; rising the notice of the assets, trainings and applications provided by the CIP; updating the CIP web site; researching and using finest practices of different state Courtroom Enchancment Packages; constructing optimistic relationships with DCS to proceed collaboration between CIP and DCS for the good thing about  youth and households concerned within the youngster welfare system; updating the lawyer and choose coaching curriculum, content material and survey course of; and creating consistency amongst every of the juvenile courts all through the state (clerks, courtroom employees, detention facilities, and so on.) for the entry and evaluation of knowledge.

“Stacy involves the AOC with a breadth of information about and on-the-ground expertise in juvenile regulation,” stated Michelle Consiglio-Younger, Director and Counsel, Intergovernmental Affairs Division on the AOC. “Her prior expertise as a Justice of the Peace for each the Espresso County and Rutherford County Juvenile Courts offers her a novel understanding of the wants of the juvenile system. This background permits her to leap proper into the place and begin engaged on the targets and impression of Tennessee’s CIP, which embrace assessing and enhancing present processes that help the well-being and permanency of youngsters concerned within the youngster welfare system. I’ve each confidence that she’s going to implement her concepts and vitality to enhance present applications and create new ones. We’re grateful to have her be a part of the staff on the AOC.”

In regards to the Courtroom Enchancment Program: The Courtroom Enchancment Program (CIP) is funded by a federal grant program supplied by means of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers and aimed toward enhancing juvenile courtroom response to youngsters who’re dependent, delinquent or unruly and are liable to, or are positioned in foster care. The Tennessee Supreme Courtroom obtained its preliminary Courtroom Enchancment grant in 1995. Tennessee receives three grants to fund the CIP – Primary Grant, Coaching Grant and Knowledge Assortment and Evaluation Grant.

The Courtroom Enchancment Program Work Group is a statewide multi-disciplinary group appointed by the Supreme Courtroom to evaluate and deal with problems with security, permanency and well-being for kids and households within the youngster welfare system. A sub-committee of the Work Group, the Legislation Committee, meets to evaluate state legal guidelines, guidelines and insurance policies affecting youngsters and households.