C400-011

WIC 241.1 JOINT ASSESSMENT

PROBATION CASES

DATE OF ISSUE:01/15/02

APPLICABLE TO:Juvenile Court Services Support Staff, Their Supervisors and Administrative Support Services Manager

LEGAL BASIS:Welfare and Institution Code 241.1

RELATED POLICY RELEASE(S):None

NON-CWS/CMS FORM(S):JCS 241.1Referral Checklist

Request for Information letter

Delinquency Referral Log

241.1Monthly Minute Orders

WIC 241.1 Cases Tally for 200(2) or current year

WIC 241.1Joint Assessment Monthly Referral Count

WIC 241.1Joint Assessment Regional Breakdown of Referrals

241.1 Joint Assessment Unit Master Calendar

Alert Log

Unit Master Calendar

CWS/CMS FORM(S):None

SUPERSEDES AND CANCELS:None

The Welfare and Institution Code Section 241.1 provides that all children who come under the description of both the dependency and delinquency courts shall be assessed by both the probation department and the dependency court. Since there are no provisions in the law for the children to be dependents of the court and wards of the court at the same time, one of the two departments shall have primary responsibility for supervision of the children. Thus, the purpose of this assessment is to determine and recommend to the delinquency court which department shall best serve the interests of these children and the community. The WIC 241.1 Joint Assessment Probation Cases Unit of the dependency court shall follow these cases through the disposition hearing.

The majority of the referrals for a WIC 241.1 Joint Assessment Probation Case originate in the delinquency court with the Probation Department as the lead agency. Occasionally when the dependency court requests the initial assessment of the child, the dependency becomes the lead agency. The lead agency is responsible for preparing a report for their respective court, and the other agency is responsible for preparing a memorandum of their assessment of the case for the lead agency to incorporate in their report to their court.

When the delinquency court orders a WIC 241.1 Joint Assessment on a dependent child, the assigned CSW will complete the memorandum. The delinquency court may order a WIC 241.1 Joint Assessment on a child who is currently a dependent of the court, who has been a dependent of the court, or who has never been a dependent of the court. If the child is a dependent of the court, the assessment and memorandum will be completed by the assigned CSW. If the child is not a dependent of the court, the Hotline will be contacted and an ER CSW will be assigned. If the case is in the pre-disposition phase of the dependency case, the WIC 241.1 assessment is assigned to a DI.

Since the program works in concert with the Probation Department, the delinquency court and the dependency court, time frames are very short. As a result, logs and statistics must be precise, accurate and current. Thus, the court support staff is vital to the success of this program.

A.WHEN:A MINUTE ORDER IS RECEIVED FROM THE DELINQUENCY COURT ORDERING A WIC 241.1 JOINT ASSESSMENT

WHO / HOW
Court Support Staff
Court Support Staff / NOTE:The WIC 241.1 CSW will prepare a folder on all new referrals which includes the delinquency court referral, the referral document, the delinquency court minute order, the JAI print out and any available current DCFS reports and will forward the folder to the Court Support Staff.
  1. Enter the Delinquency Referral Log on Access.
  1. Record the new WIC 241.1 referrals.
1)Input the court number, the name of the child, birth date, sex, the referral date, the assignment date, the memorandum due date, the date the CSW was contacted, the CSW’s name, the SCSW’s name, the region, the Deputy Probation Officer’s name, the Supervising Deputy Probation Officer’s name, the court date, the WIC 300 status and the WIC 600 status.
NOTE:If the child has two or more charges in different delinquency courtrooms, merge them into one 241.1 folder.
  1. Process the WIC 241.1 disposition referrals.
NOTE:These referrals are on the Delinquency Referral Log and only need to be pulled up to record the disposition.
1)The delinquency court rulings which declare a child a ward of the court and dictates that the dependency case must be closed are:
a)WIC 601--A minor that is habitually disobedient or truant.
b)WIC 602--A minor that violates laws defining a crime.
2)The delinquency court rulings which require joint supervision are:
a)WIC 654.2--The delinquency court may continue the child’s case until an informal period of supervision is completed.
b)WIC 725(a)--The delinquency court may place the child on probation for a period of six months but not declare the child to be a ward of the court.
c)WIC 790--The delinquency court may defer an entry of judgment if the child meets the requirements of this statute.
Court Support Staff
Court Support Staff /
  1. Sort the 241.1 Minute Orders into three categories: new, continued and dispositions.
  1. File the new minute orders in the WIC 241.1 folder.
NOTE:New minute orders are not logged unto the 241.1 Monthly Minute Orders until there is a continuance or a disposition date.
  1. Add the continuances by pulling up the child’s name or case number and then fax the minute order to the field CSW/SCSW.
1)Add the continuance date to the Unit Master Calendar and the JCS 241.1 Referral Checklist.
2)Place the WIC 241.1 folder in the open or active case file.
  1. Add the disposition minute orders by pulling up the child’s name or case number and then, fax the minute order to the field CSW/SCSW.
NOTE:Minute orders for inappropriate cases are not faxed because there are not active/open cases in the region.
1)Add the disposition minute orders to the JCS 241.1 Referral Checklist and the Delinquency Referral Log.
2)Place the WIC 241.1 folder in the correct case file cabinet.
  • Active cases
  • Disposition cases
  • Closed cases
  1. Weekly, review the 241.1 Monthly Minute Orders and request minute orders needed to close cases.
1)Run the Juvenile Automated Index program to update cases heard the previous week for dispositions and/or continuances.
2)Request the list of the missing minute orders from the Superior Court.
3)Upon their receipt, complete the processing of the minute orders and the case folders.
  1. Prepare the Alert Log.
  1. Pull all the WIC 241.1 case folders for the up coming week.
  1. Identify the names of the children in a probation facility along withthe names of their
Regional Administers, and the CSWs.
  1. Type the Alert Log.
  1. E-mail the Alert Log to the Director of Juvenile Court Services, all the Regional Administers, and the CSWs named on the log.
4.Compile the Monthly Statistical Log.
  1. Complete the WIC 241.1 Cases Tally for 2002.
NOTE:The WIC 241.1 Cases Tally for 2002 will change yearly to reflect the current year.
  1. Complete the Monthly Referral Count and Breakdown of Delinquency Generated Referrals.
  1. Complete the Regional Breakdown of Referrals.
NOTE:The statistics are a three-page document, which includes charts and graphs.
5.Forward the statistics to the ARA for distribution to the designated personnel.

CLERICAL HANDBOOK #C400-011 (01/02) PAGE 1 OF 5