Lisa Finkey, J.D.
Overview and History
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the Wyoming Supreme Court a court grant in July 1999. The purpose of the grant is to assess and improve the juvenile court system’s process involving Wyoming’s most vulnerable population—abused and neglected children. In October 1999, the Supreme Court appointed an advisory council consisting of judges, attorneys, a representative from the Department of Family Services, a foster care alumna, and other professionals involved in the child protection system.
News and Events
Registration for Second Parental Substance Abuse Training is Now Open
The Wyoming Children’s Justice Project and Casey Family Programs will be hosting a three-part webinar series regarding addiction and parental substance abuse, followed by a four hour in person training in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The webinars will be held on June 24th, July 15th, and August 5th at noon. The in person training will not be held until October 9th and will be subject to any COVID-19 restrictions that may be in place.
The second webinar, Development, Drugs, and Despair: Primed for Addiction, is scheduled as follows:
When: July 15, 2020
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting at:
https://casey.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUvdu2sqzktGNXGvjWwRaHsQ5RJPXTuYslp
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Registration for the other meetings will follow.
Recording of First Wyoming Children’s Justice Project and Casey Family Programs Sponsored Training on Parental Substance Abuse Now Available.
The Wyoming Children’s Justice Project and Casey Family Programs will be hosting a three-part webinar series regarding addiction and parental substance abuse, followed by a four hour in person training in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The webinars will be held on June 24th, July 15th, and August 5th at noon. The in person training will not be held until October 9th and will be subject to any COVID-19 restrictions that may be in place.
The trainers for these meetings will be Dr. Judy Griesel and Paul DiLorenzo. Dr. Grisel is author of the New York Times Bestseller Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction, and is a professor of psychology at Bucknell University. Paul is the Interim Executive Director of the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance and has a four-decade history of experience in child welfare and youth development settings.
These webinars will be hosted by Casey Family Programs on Zoom.
The recording of the first webinar can be found here.
Wyoming Children’s Justice Project and Casey Family Programs Sponsor Training on Parental Substance Abuse
The Wyoming Children’s Justice Project and Casey Family Programs will be hosting a three-part webinar series regarding addiction and parental substance abuse, followed by a four hour in person training in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The webinars will be held on June 24th, July 15th, and August 5th at noon. The in person training will not be held until October 9th and will be subject to any COVID-19 restrictions that may be in place.
The trainers for these meetings will be Dr. Judy Griesel and Paul DiLorenzo. Dr. Grisel is author of the New York Times Bestseller Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction, and is a professor of psychology at Bucknell University. Paul is the Interim Executive Director of the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance and has a four-decade history of experience in child welfare and youth development settings.
These webinars will be hosted by Casey Family Programs on Zoom.
2020 Golden Award Given to Social Services Worker Janet Prosser
At the 2020 Wyoming Joint Symposium on Children and Youth, DFS Social Services Worker Janet Prosser from the 5th Judicial District was awarded the Golden Award. The award presentation can be viewed here:
DFS Director Korin Schmidt Discusses the Family First Prevention Services Act
Korin Schmidt, Director of the Department of Family Services, sat down with Children’s Justice Project Coordinator Lisa Finkey to discuss the Family First Prevention Services Act and its implications for Wyoming. You can listen to the interview here:
Children’s Justice Portal
This page is currently under construction.
Children’s Justice Project Advisory Council
The Court Improvement Program Grant requires state courts to form a statewide multidisciplinary task force which included state and local courts, the state title IV-B/IV-E agency and, where applicable, Indian tribes or tribal consortiums. This task force should jointly review and discuss child welfare outcome data on court-involved youth and families, data that may be available from court data systems, and discussion of what those data may mean and how court or attorney practice may be contributing to such data. Meetings are to be used as an opportunity to monitor and review goals, identify opportunities for interventions and plan CIP involvement in program planning and improvement efforts with the title IV-E/IV-B agency.
The Wyoming Supreme Court established this required task force as the Children’s Justice Project Advisory Council. The Advisory Council operates under the direction and supervision of the Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court and must demonstrate meaningful, ongoing collaboration among the courts, the Wyoming Department of Family Services and the Indian Tribes in the State. Rules for the Children’s Justice Project Advisory Council can be found below.
Meeting Schedule
- May 15, 2020 – 10:00 a.m.
- September 11, 2020 – 10:00 a.m.
- December 11, 2020 – 10:00 a.m.
- March 12, 2021 – 10:00 a.m.
- May 14, 2021 – 10:00 a.m.
- September 10, 2021 – 10:00 a.m.
- December 10, 2021 – 10:00 a.m.
Order Appointing Council Members
Rules
Strategic Plan
Minutes
- 2019 May Minutes
- 2019 March Minutes
- 2018 December Minutes
- 2018 September Minutes
- 2018 May Minutes
- 2018 March Minutes
- 2017 December Minutes
- 2017 September Minutes
- 2017 May Minutes
- 2017 March Minutes
- 2016 December Minutes
- 2016 August Minutes
- 2016 June Minutes
- 2016 March Minutes
- 2015 December Minutes
- 2015 August Minutes
- 2015 June Minutes
- 2015 March Minutes
- 2014 December Minutes
- 2014 August Minutes
- 2014 June Minutes
- 2014 March Minutes
- 2014 January Minutes
- 2013 October Minutes
Resources
The Children’s Justice Project publishes various handbooks regarding juvenile court in Wyoming. These publications can be downloaded in PDF form below.
Data
This page is currently under construction.
The Golden Award
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2021 Golden Award! For more information, please email lfinkey@courts.state.wy.us.
In 2008, the Wyoming Supreme Court Children’s Justice Project established the Excellence Award to recognize an individual involved in the child welfare system who has made significant contributions to the system and is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. The award is presented each year at the Children’s Justice Conference. Nominations for the award are solicited statewide. The Award Selection Committee is comprised of past award recipients. In 2014, the Excellence Award was renamed after Justice Michael Golden (the 2014 Excellence Award recipient) and is now referred to as the Justice Michael Golden Award or the “Golden Award”.
Past Awardees:
- 2020 Janet Prosser
- 2019 Jeri and Marshall Sanderson
- 2018 Guardian ad Litem Anniversary Celebration (10 years)
- 2017 Sandra S. Kitchen
- 2016 John M. Burman
- 2015 Judge Steven Cranfill
- 2014 Justice Michael Golden
- 2012 Brenden McKinney
- 2011 Jean Day
- 2010 Rick Robb
- 2009 Stacey Obrecht
- 2008 Dan Wilde