Courts to focus on child safety

The safety and security of children in Utah's court system is the judicial branch's focus in 2006, the chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court said Monday in her fourth annual State of the Judiciary address to the Utah Legislature.

Justice Christine M. Durham said work has already begun to improve the lives of foster children as well as youths in need of mental health treatment.

Durham announced the creation of "IOU" or Initiative on Utah Children in Foster Care. The initiative, created with help from former Gov. Olene Walker, is a cooperative effort among several political, business, government and religious leaders.

In one recent meeting of IOU, Durham said several current and former foster children talked about their experiences. One 18-year-old said once he became an adult, no one from the state ever called to check on him or offer advice. On his birthday, the man said his phone sat silent.

"Here sat a young man so alone in the world that no one remembered his birthday and his phone never rang," Durham said. "This young man's story reminded us all in a very real and personal way of the human side of the issues we are struggling with."

IOU is currently working on federal and state funding issues, transitions to adult living for teenage foster youths, community support for kinship-care placements and public awareness.

The chief justice also focused on mental health treatment for youths going through Utah's juvenile courts. A recent report from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice said that 50 to 75 percent of adolescents involved in juvenile justice systems in the United States have diagnosable mental disorders, while 20 percent have serious mental health problems.

In Utah's juvenile justice system, Durham said, 1,200 youths each year show signs of severe mental disorders.

"This Wednesday, a Mental Health Court pilot project will officially begin," Durham said. "This will be one of the first courts of its kind in the nation."

The court will partner with several groups, including Valley Mental Health, Jordan School District, Salt Lake County Division of Mental Health, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and juvenile justice advocates.

"The hope is that coordination of services, treatment and judicial supervision of young people in trouble whose problems include serious mental health issues will result in better outcomes for the children, for their families and for the community," Durham said.

The chief justice's speech was met with support from legislative leaders.