By Megan Burruss
Safe Babies Court (SBC) is a court-based approach that works to transform the child welfare system and reduce the time that a child spends in foster care before reaching safe permanence. SBC also puts a strong emphasis on timely permanency, preferably through reunification. Sometimes reunification is not always possible, which is why we regularly discuss the importance of permanence with every family that we serve. SBC aims to provide increased support and collaboration around babies and their families, through frequent family team meetings, monthly judicial status conferences, and support services promoting healthy child development.
SBC was implemented in North Carolina in 2023 as a three year, five site pilot, after being recommended by The Chief Justice’s Task Force on ACESs-Informed Courts. The current sites piloting the program in North Carolina are New Hanover, Brunswick, Durham, Yancey/Mitchell, and Rutherford/McDowell counties.
Prior to moving to North Carolina in 2024, I was a SBC Coordinator in Tennessee. When my partner and I decided to move to North Carolina and explore beach living, my first through was “What if they don’t have Safe Babies Court there!?” I knew that working with families through the SBC approach was not a role I was ready to leave. I have seen this approach work! I have witnessed how the promotion of early intervention services and increased support and communication between the court, DSS, GALS, parents, caregivers, and providers has changed the lives of babies, toddlers, and their families – with timely permanence and increased rates of reunification.
A key part of SBC is that a family will have increased contact with their team through monthly family team meetings and monthly judicial status conferences. This increased contact allows barriers, challenges, and needs to be addressed timely. It provides a safe space to celebrate successes and talk about struggles. The increased contact supports building trusting relationships between families and everyone on their team, including the judge. Overall, these increased points of contact each month provide a platform to ensure everyone is on the same page so that timely permanence can be achieved. One of the mothers participating in SBC in New Hanover County shared the following about the increased contact of her SBC team: “SBC has been very beneficial for me and has allowed me to develop personal relationships with everyone involved in my case. I feel supported and am able to voice my questions, concerns as well as my progress and achievements in a less intimidating setting.”
- Family Team Meetings: Families participating in SBC will have monthly family team meetings. This means that families have increased communication with all people involved in the child’s case; in an effort to address needs and barriers quickly. These meetings provide families the opportunity to have frequent support and additional access to resources. During meetings the team will discuss strengths, case plan progress, and any needs or barriers that the family may have. We are able to discuss the mental health and developmental needs of the child and secure early intervention services as needed. Monthly family team meetings really enable everyone on the team to work together collaboratively and frequently.
- Judicial Status Conferences: Families participating in SBC will have monthly judicial status conferences with the judge. All members of the child and family team attend the status conference alongside the involved attorneys. The status conference is a time each month for the parent or caregiver to share directly with the judge about how they feel things are going from their perspective and any needs they may have. In New Hanover County, we meet for judicial status conferences in a training room instead of a courtroom. The chairs are arranged in a circle (pictured) and the parent/caregiver has a name tag to hold their seat beside the judge. We have worked hard to transform the room into a child friendly place with books, a color station, and tons of toys. We even occasionally have a nine foot tall blow-up Batman that makes an appearance at the status conferences, which the kids love. We hope that by having these monthly contacts with the judge in a much more relaxed environment compared to a courtroom, we can better foster connection, support, and instill hope while also continuing to discuss the importance of timely permanence for babies and toddlers.
“It [SBC] has helped bridge the gap that normally exists between clients, case workers and judges. During the status conferences, I am able to share things about myself and my progress, goals and concerns with the judge and social workers in a casual setting. I always understand exactly what is going on with my case, and I feel supported and comfortable sharing my needs.” – A parent participating in SBC
Safe Babies Court fosters a sense of strong support and collaboration around families. SBC strives to build hope for families as a path to move forward.
“Safe Babies Court gave me hope and confidence in myself. I have no doubt they did everything they could to guide me onto this path we are both thriving on. Safe Babies Court has been a blessing for me to be a part of.”
While permanence is the drive of SBC, we ideally hope the permanence outcome can be reunification. So how can SBC support reunification outside of what I have mentioned above? Three words: Believe, Imagine, and Achieve. In July 2024 when we first started enrolling SBC families here in New Hanover County, we talked about ways to transform the training room that the families would be meeting in, from one with blank white walls to one with color and items that made families feel comfortable. Judge Corpening had wall art installed into the room that reflects the words, “Believe, Imagine, and Achieve.” Below I will share with you, what he shared with me, on the ideals behind each word. I believe these words reflect how SBC can support families through their journey.
- Believe: Through our work with SBC families, we can empower them to believe that their lives can be different. To believe that they have the capability to make lifelong changes for themselves and their child(ren).
- Imagine: We can help families to imagine that their lives can be different. To imagine what that could look like for them and their child(ren).
- Achieve: And finally, if we can instill hope in families to believe their lives can be different, and imagine what that might look like, we can support them in achieving those goals.
Megan Burruss is a Safe Babies Court Coordinator with North Carolina AOC serving New Hanover County. She has over 4 years of experience working specifically with children and families enrolled in Safe Babies Court.
