Category: Announcements

Upcoming Webinars from the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project

NIWAP Upcoming Webinars

  1. Webinar: Naturalization of VAWA, SIJS, U, and T Visa Recipient Survivors: TTA from USCIS and NIWAP (September 23, 2022)
  2. Webinar: New Regulation Policies and Court Rulings’ Impact on State Courts Issuing Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Orders (October 4, 2022)
  3. Webinar: What Judges, Attorneys, and Prosecutors Need to Know About How VAWA Confidentiality Impacts Discovery in Cases Involving Immigrant Survivors (October 14, 2022)

Naturalization of VAWA, SIJS, U, and T Visa Recipient Survivors: TTA from USCIS and NIWAP

 Friday, September 23, 2022, 12:00-1:30 pm EST

Description

This webinar will provide participants with an overview of the naturalization process of VAWA, SIJS, U, and T visa recipients.  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will discuss their work to remove barriers to citizenship and promote naturalization under  Executive Order 14012 and the Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization, as well as review the naturalization application process and address the particular circumstances, needs, and concerns of lawful permanent residents who were VAWA self-petitioners, T and U visa holders, and Special Immigrant Juveniles.

Information regarding the training and technical assistance NIWAP can provide on immigrant survivors’ naturalization, and other Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) immigration matters will also be shared during the webinar.

Faculty

  1. Leslye E. Orloff,  Director,NIWAP, American University, Washington College of Law
  2. Kelly Ryan,  USCIS, Senior Advisor USCIS
  3. Mary Flores,  USCIS, Chief of Citizenship Education Branch
  4. Colleen Zengotitabengoa,  Chief of the Refugee and Asylum Law Division in the USCIS Office of Chief Counsel
  5. Edna Yang, Co-Executive Director, American Gateways

Target Audience

This FREE webinar is designed for victim advocates, attorneys, and law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, OVW grantees, other victim service providers who would like up-to-date information on how NIWAP can support their work, as well as how to aid noncitizen survivors in attaining naturalization.

New Regulation Policies and Court Rulings’ Impact on State Courts Issuing Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Orders

 Tuesday, October 4, 2022, 3:00-4:00 PM EST

Description

In 2022, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services issued new Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) regulations and policy guidance (March 2022) and an updated SIJS policy manual (May 2022).  In August 2022 the California Supreme Court issued a ruling In Re Guardianship of Saul H. that provides helpful direction to state courts issuing SIJS predicate orders. 

This webinar will provide updates, answer questions, and describe the impact of these new regulations, policies, and court rulings for state juvenile and family court judges issuing predicate orders that SIJS eligible children need to file for SIJS immigration relief.

Faculty will provide practice tips for judges and lawyers in addition to discussing best practices for drafting state court orders.  Faculty will also describe the impact these new policies and rulings have for state court practice in SIJ S cases and how these policies benefit the vulnerable immigrant children seeking help from state courts and through SIJS immigration protections. 

Faculty 

  1. David B. Thronson,  Director, Talsky Center for Human Rights of Women and Children, Michigan State University College of Law
  2. Hon. Victor Reyes (Ret.), Judge-In-Residence, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ)
  3. Leslye E. Orloff, Director, National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP), Washington College of Law

Target Audience 

This webinar is designed for state court judges and the attorneys who represent immigrant children seeking SIJS orders from state family and juvenile courts.

What Judges, Attorneys, and Prosecutors Need to Know About How VAWA Confidentiality Impacts Discovery in Cases Involving Immigrant Survivors

Friday, October 14, 2022, 1:00-2:30 pm EST

Description
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) confidentiality offers federal immigration law protections enacted to prevent perpetrators from learning about, interfering with, and obtaining information contained in survivors’ victim-based applications for immigration relief (VAWA, Battered Spouse Waiver, U and T visa cases). The faculty (judge, former prosecutor, family lawyer) will discuss how courts, prosecutors and attorneys should respond when offenders seek discovery of VAWA confidentiality protected information in criminal, family, and civil court cases. Best practices for anticipating, preparing for, and addressing VAWA confidentiality discovery issues in a manner that promotes and protects victim safety and offender accountability will be highlighted.  Attendees will receive up-to-date VAWA confidentiality case law; DHS policies, and practice pointers.

Faculty

  1. Hon. Mary Weir, Jackson County, Missouri, Associate Circuit Judge
  2. Jane Anderson, Attorney Advisor, AEquitas
  3. Leslye Orloff, Director, NIWAP

Target Audience

This webinar is designed for judges, prosecutors, victims’ family and civil lawyers, victim advocates, and OVW grantees. 

E-filing Domestic Violence Protection Orders—Safety, Accessibility, and Effectiveness

This webinar will review key considerations identified through NCSC’s critical conversations with court stakeholders across the country related to portals and e-filing systems for domestic violence cases, such as addressing safety and confidentiality/privacy concerns, challenges to accessibility, support strategies to help petitioners navigate technology, and court processes and collaborations necessary to build a robust framework.

1:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 27

As a result of this program, participants will be better able to:

  • Explain the benefits and challenges, especially for users, of e-filing systems for domestic violence protection orders
  • Identify the specific obstacles and strategies to overcome them, regarding user safety, confidentiality/privacy, and accessibility of e-filing systems
  • Describe the challenges petitioners face in navigating the e-filing process and how to address them by providing necessary support through access to advocates and other strategies
  • Effectively collaborate with key stakeholders to develop, implement, and assess the effectiveness of e-filing systems

Facilitators:

  • Alicia Davis | Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts
  • Kathryn Genthon | Senior Court Research Associate, National Center for State Courts

Panelists:

  • Darren Mitchell | Consultant, National Center for State Courts
  • Ayyoub Ajmi | Director of Technology at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law; Founder CiviLaw.Tech
  • Staci Pratt | Head of Student Services and Outreach, Assistant Professor of Teaching, William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder
  • Kay Radwanski | Senior Court Policy Analyst, Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts

Register here

Today’s Disinformation Threats

Disinformation and misinformation campaigns undermine public confidence in our country’s institutions, including courts. These campaigns can cause a crisis of confidence that can affect the ability of courts to do their duty and potentially harm the people who depend on court services. We will kick off a two-part webinar series by exploring “Today’s Disinformation Threats.” Featuring nationally recognized subject-matter experts, this webinar will highlight the current disinformation landscape, forecast disinformation trends on the horizon, and detail why courts should be concerned.

3 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 22

Moderator:
• Anna Blackburne-Rigsby | Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals


Panelists:
• Jennifer Rubin | Opinion Columnist Covering Policy and Politics, Washington Post
• Suzanne Spaulding | Senior Adviser for Homeland Security and Director of the Defending Democratic Institutions Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

Register here

Register Now! Family Treatment Court (FTC)

Register Now! Children and Family Futures (CFF) will be hosting Family Treatment Court (FTC) Practice Academy 2022: Beyond Counting: Strategies to Collect and (Actually) Use Your FTC Data on August 30th, 2022, at 2:00PM EST. FTC teams use data to achieve equitable access and results, identify barriers to success, and support sustainability—all with the common purpose of improving outcomes for children, parents, and family members affected by substance use disorders.

Register here: Meeting Registration – Zoom

Upcoming Webinar! The Role of Risk Assessments & Evaluations in Sentencing Drug-Impaired Drivers

Upcoming Webinar! The National Judicial College (NJC) will be hosting: The Role of Risk Assessments & Evaluations in Sentencing Drug-Impaired Drivers tomorrow: Wednesday, August 17th, 2022, from 3:00-4:15PM EST. 

In this webinar, participants will cite the need for, and difference between, DUI specific assessment tools and identify how to best utilize them when sentencing drug-impaired drives.

To register now for this free online webinar: The Role of Risk Assessments & Evaluations in Sentencing Drug-Impaired Drivers – The National Judicial College (judges.org)

Announcing the Launch of the Reaching Rural Initiative

On behalf of The United States Department of Justice, OJP Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA); the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the State Justice Institute (SJI); the National Association of Counties and the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, we are excited to share with you a new initiative, Reaching Rural: Advancing Collaborative Solutions. BJA, CDC, and SJI are supporting this initiative as part of an ongoing interagency partnership to strengthen public safety and public health collaboration under BJA’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP). COSSAP provides funding and training and technical assistance (TTA) to state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to support a comprehensive response to illicit substance use and misuse; reduce overdose deaths; promote public safety; and support access to prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services in the community and justice system.

What is the Reaching Rural initiative?

The Reaching Rural initiative is a one-year initiative. Over the course of the year, the selected individuals and teams will receive coaching and participate in skill-building workshops as well as virtual and in-person learning experiences.

Participation in the Reaching Rural initiative includes:

·Travel and per diem costs to participate in an orientation, a field visit to observe the implementation of evidence-informed practices in a rural setting, and a closing session at the end of the 12 months. This is not a grant opportunity.

· Monthly mentorship and guidance aimed toward your local needs.

· Monthly assignments that help you apply core concepts to your local community or region.

· Access to a diverse network of rural peers, innovative rural communities, and technical assistance providers.

· Formal recognition for completing the planning initiative.

Apply now! Seeking Applicants for the Reaching Rural Initiative – Deadline September 30th, 2022. For more information click on the image below or visit: Reaching_Rural_Solicitation-Final.pdf (cossapresources.org)

Reaching_Rural_Solicitation-Final-1 Download

Improving Systems through Collaboration: Top Down or Bottom Up? Both!

Upcoming Webinar! Thursday, July 14th, 2022, from 1:30-3:00PM EST. Improving Systems through Collaboration: Top Down or Bottom Up? Both!

Catalysts for change exist at all levels of social service, health, and court systems—from state-level leaders to local agency directors. Sustaining practice and policy changes require local implementation efforts that in turn rely on state support.

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare’s (NCSACW) upcoming panel discussion highlights the lessons and successes of change implementation.

The panel examines how sustaining system-level change: 1) maximizes implementation efforts, and 2) ensures programs remain effectively and equitably delivered and sustained—from the top down and bottom up. These lessons stem from NCSACW’s specialized technical assistance programs: In-Depth Technical Assistance (IDTA) and Regional Partnership Grant (RPG).

Join this facilitated discussion to ask questions and network with other tribes, states, and communities. Learning objectives include:
Understand how to make change at the local and state levels.
Identify practice-level strategies necessary to create systems-level change.

Build collaborative capacity with partner agencies and systems.
Engage strong leadership to assure collaboratives develop mutually defined goals, make lasting practice changes, and mitigate systemic barriers to improve outcomes for children and families.

Registration is free. Register here: Webinar Registration – Zoom

Federal Grant Programs Guide: Funding Opportunities

Need information on current federal funding opportunities? Rulo Strategies, with support from SJI, is releasing weekly updates on open solicitations for federal funding opportunities of potential interest to state courts and their justice system partners, organized by topic.  This resource highlights key information to help jurisdictions make decisions about whether to pursue these funding opportunities. Please note that the solicitation or notice of funding that is linked serves as the official guidance on how to apply for the funding, required and allowable expenses, and deadlines. If a funding opportunity looks relevant to the work you are planning for, please read through each solicitation/notice of funding closely to respond to all requirements. The current Federal Grant Programs guide can be accessed here.