HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania's Supreme Court is giving family court judges, lawyers, and other specialists a new guide for handling cases of abused or neglected children.
The court announced Thursday the release of the Pennsylvania Dependency Benchbook, which draws together state law and provides examples of practices from around the country that can help judges and lawyers. It is being distributed to all trial judges and people who work in the child-dependency field throughout Pennsylvania.
The book is part of the court's effort to reduce delays in placing at-risk children in safe, permanent homes. The number of children in foster care in Pennsylvania fell from 21,000 four years ago to 16,000 in March. The guide can be found at www.ocfcpacourts.us/padependencybenchbook - AP