Court Improvement Program (CIP)

Nevada's Court Improvement Program (CIP) emphasizes and supports keeping families together, and children's right to protection from abuse and neglect. CIP is committed to promote continuous quality improvement to implement best practices that advance meaningful, inclusive, and ongoing collaboration among courts, child welfare agencies, empirical experts, tribes, and other stakeholders to achieve safety, permanency, and well-being for children and families in the child welfare system in a fair and timely manner.

Here you can find news articles and stories that will help you stay up-to-date on the Court Improvement Program.

CIP Select Committee meetings are held quarterly. Members of the public are welcome to attend these meetings. The Committee is pleased to provide reasonable accommodations for members of the public who are disabled and require special arrangements or assistance. If you would like to attend, or require assistance, please notify Committee staff no later than two working days prior to the meeting. This meeting is exempt from the Nevada Open Meeting Law.

The purpose of the Statewide Juvenile Dependency Mediation Program (JDMP) is to improve system processing of dependency cases; to better engage families; thereby decreasing time to permanency and termination of parental rights (TPR). In so doing, it helps stabilize children's lives by getting them into safe, stable, and permanent homes in a timely manner.

This page includes CIP's recent strategic plans as well as several data reports. This page will be updated as new reports are created and new strategic plans are approved by the Children's Bureau. If you are seeking additional information on these reports, please use the contact addresses found on the page to submit an official request.

The Court Improvement Program (CIP) is proud to offer a variety of training courses related to the child welfare process and dependency field. Many of the available courses provide Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits upon completion. Registration can be accessed on the following page.

Nevada's Court Improvement Program ("CIP") supports children's right to protection from abuse and neglect. It promotes best practices that advance meaningful and ongoing collaboration among courts, child welfare agencies, and other stakeholders to achieve safety, permanency, and well-being for children and families in the child welfare system in a fair, efficient, just and timely manner. As part of the CIP's activities toward improving the outcome of Nevada's children in abuse and neglect cases, it developed a set of standardized forms.

A "Guardian ad Litem" or "GAL" is a person that the Court appoints to research what solutions would be in the "best interests of a child" with the goal of protecting the interests of a child or children in a particular matter. The Guardian ad Litem is not expected to make diagnostic, legal or therapeutic recommendations, but is expected to provide information to the Court regarding the conditions or circumstances surrounding a child or children. A GAL is a volunteer community member who is specially trained and appointed by the Court to represent the best interests of a child in a court proceeding.

The Nevada Community Improvement Councils (CICs) are judicial districts with a platform/forum for the ongoing identification of strengths, creating collaborative systems and opportunities as they pertain to child welfare outcomes.

Available here are CIP reports, resources, and other supplemental information.

This handbook provides parents, relatives, and caregivers with information about what to expect when a child welfare agency becomes involved with your family. It details the time frames for the steps involved, explains what to expect during the family court process, and includes many variations of outcomes that may be faced along the way. || Esta guía les ofrece a padres, madres, parientes y personas cuidadoras la información de lo que pueden esperar cuando una agencia de bienestar de menores interviene en su familia. La guía detalla los plazos de los pasos necesarios, explica qué esperar durante el proceso ante el tribunal familiar e incluye diversos resultados a los que pudiera enfrentarse sobre la marcha.