Judicial Community of Practice
The Judicial Community of Practice (JCoP) is a monthly, virtual peer-learning opportunity for judicial officers who hear child dependency cases.
Come learn about the best-practices being used in dependency courts and talk with your peers about what they are doing in their courts. Whether you’re new to the bench or have years of experience hearing child welfare cases, we invite you to participate in this exciting opportunity!
JCoP sessions are led by one of our expert Jurists-in-Residence, who are retired judicial officers with years of experience hearing child dependency cases. The sessions are topic-focused and include a Dependency Practice Tip that is sent out prior to each session. JCoP creates a confidential space for judicial officers to freely engage in discussion, ask questions, and receive support – which is why sessions are never recorded.
Registration for JCoP is limited to Judges and Court Commissioners.
2026 Schedule
| Date | Topic | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| January 21st | Welcome to Dependency | Judge Helen Halpert (ret.) |
| February 18th | Adoptee Mentoring Society
| Judge Helen Halpert (ret.) |
| March 18th |
| |
| April 15th | Book Discussion: Wards of the State by Claudia Rowe | Judge Helen Halpert (ret.) |
| May 20th | Hope-Centered Leadership | |
| June 17th | Family Law Orders in New Dependency Cases | Judge Helen Halpert (ret.) |
| August 19th | CANCELED | |
| September 16th | Children’s Long-Term Inpatient Program (CLIP)
| Judge Helen Halpert (ret.) |
| October 21st | Book Discussion: A Place Called Home by David Ambroz | Judge Helen Halpert (ret.) |
| November 18th | Family Time Visitation and Combined In-Home Services
|
2027 Schedule
| Date | Topic | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| January 20th | Welcome to Dependency | |
| February 17th | Book Discussion: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman | Judge Helen Halpert (ret.) |
| March 17th | TBA | |
| April 21st | TBA | |
| May 19th | TBA | |
| June 16th | TBA | |
| August 18th | TBA | |
| September 15th | TBA | |
| October 20th | TBA | |
| November 17th | TBA |
Previous Years
2025 Schedule
| Date | Topic | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| January 15th | Welcome to the Bench | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| February 19th | Hope in Dependency Cases Guest Expert: Heather Cantamessa | Commissioner Michelle Ressa |
| March 19th | Incarcerated Parents Guest Experts: Anne Stone & Jim Chambers | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| April 16th | Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD): Part 1 Guest Experts: Jessica Blose & Lauren Kula | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| May 21st | Judicial Ethics in Dependency (Follow Up to Judicial Academy) Guest Expert: Reiko Callner | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| June 18th | Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD): Part 2 Guest Experts: Jessica Blose & Lauren Kula, | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| August 20th | Mental Health Assessments & Psychological Evaluations Guest Expert: Theresa Brooks Psych/Professional Services Dashboard | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| September 17th | Caregiver Reporting Guest Expert: Geene Delaplane PowerPoint Slides | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| October 15th | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch | |
| November 19th | ICWA | Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
2024 Schedule
| Date | Topic | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| January 17th | Making Findings in Dependency and Termination Cases Guest Expert: Hon. Beth Andrus (ret.), WA Court of Appeals – Division I | Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| February 21st | Protective Factors for Families Guest Experts: DCYF Strengthen Families Locally Program | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| March 20th | Community-Based Services & Support Guest Experts: DCYF Strengthen Families Locally Program | Commissioner Heather Shand |
| April 17th | Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Guest Expert: Elizabth Baldwin & Jessica Castellanos, Senior Attorney, Kids in Need of Defense PowerPoint Slides | Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| May 15th | Protein for All Guest Expert: Dr. Kristen Allott | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| August 21st | Supporting Transitions for Infants & Young Children Guest Experts: Julie Fisher & Tracy Kaplan, CHERISH at Kindering PowerPoint Slides | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| September 18th | Dependency Timelines: Improving Time to Fact-Finding Guest Expert: Jennifer Nguyen, AOC | Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| October 16th | Barriers to Permanency Guest Experts: Keisha Bigby & Minu Ranna-Stewart, Foster Care Assessment Program (FCAP) | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| November 20th | Public Health Guidance on High Potency Synthetic Opioids in Child Welfare Guest Experts: Department of Health | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
2023 Schedule
| Date | Topic | Jurist-in-Residence |
|---|---|---|
| January 18th | Welcome to the Bench | Anne Hirsch |
| February 15th | Educational Stability | Christine Pomeroy |
| March 15th | Housing Assistance | Helen Halpert |
| May 17th | Engagement in Hearings | Anne Hirsch |
| June 21st | Using Data in Dependency | Anne Hirsch |
| September 20th | Prenatal & Perinatal Substance Use Disorder | Anne Hirsch |
| October 18th | Extended Foster Care | Helen Halpert |
| November 15th | Improving Systems Through Engagement: A Conversation with Lived Experts | Commissioner Michelle Ressa |
2022 Schedule
| Date | Topic | |
|---|---|---|
| April 20th | Judicial Leadership | |
| May 18th | Docket Management | |
| June 15th | ICWA Courts and Tribal Relations | |
| August 17th | Termination Settlement Conferences | |
| September 21st | Guardianship | |
| October 19th | Domestic Violence in Child Welfare Cases | |
| November 16th | Recent WA Supreme Court Case Decisions | |
Previous Years
2025 Schedule
| Date | Topic | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| January 15th | Welcome to the Bench | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| February 19th | Hope in Dependency Cases Guest Expert: Heather Cantamessa | Commissioner Michelle Ressa |
| March 19th | Incarcerated Parents Guest Experts: Anne Stone & Jim Chambers | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| April 16th | Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD): Part 1 Guest Experts: Jessica Blose & Lauren Kula | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| May 21st | Judicial Ethics in Dependency (Follow Up to Judicial Academy) Guest Expert: Reiko Callner | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| June 18th | Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD): Part 2 Guest Experts: Jessica Blose & Lauren Kula, | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| August 20th | Mental Health Assessments & Psychological Evaluations Guest Expert: Theresa Brooks Psych/Professional Services Dashboard | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| September 17th | Caregiver Reporting Guest Expert: Geene Delaplane PowerPoint Slides | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| October 15th | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch | |
| November 19th | ICWA | Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
2024 Schedule
| Date | Topic | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| January 17th | Making Findings in Dependency and Termination Cases Guest Expert: Hon. Beth Andrus (ret.), WA Court of Appeals – Division I | Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| February 21st | Protective Factors for Families Guest Experts: DCYF Strengthen Families Locally Program | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| March 20th | Community-Based Services & Support Guest Experts: DCYF Strengthen Families Locally Program | Commissioner Heather Shand |
| April 17th | Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Guest Expert: Elizabth Baldwin & Jessica Castellanos, Senior Attorney, Kids in Need of Defense PowerPoint Slides | Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| May 15th | Protein for All Guest Expert: Dr. Kristen Allott | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| August 21st | Supporting Transitions for Infants & Young Children Guest Experts: Julie Fisher & Tracy Kaplan, CHERISH at Kindering PowerPoint Slides | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| September 18th | Dependency Timelines: Improving Time to Fact-Finding Guest Expert: Jennifer Nguyen, AOC | Retired Judge Helen Halpert |
| October 16th | Barriers to Permanency Guest Experts: Keisha Bigby & Minu Ranna-Stewart, Foster Care Assessment Program (FCAP) | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
| November 20th | Public Health Guidance on High Potency Synthetic Opioids in Child Welfare Guest Experts: Department of Health | Retired Judge Anne Hirsch |
2023 Schedule
| Date | Topic | Jurist-in-Residence |
|---|---|---|
| January 18th | Welcome to the Bench | Anne Hirsch |
| February 15th | Educational Stability | Christine Pomeroy |
| March 15th | Housing Assistance | Helen Halpert |
| May 17th | Engagement in Hearings | Anne Hirsch |
| June 21st | Using Data in Dependency | Anne Hirsch |
| September 20th | Prenatal & Perinatal Substance Use Disorder | Anne Hirsch |
| October 18th | Extended Foster Care | Helen Halpert |
| November 15th | Improving Systems Through Engagement: A Conversation with Lived Experts | Commissioner Michelle Ressa |
2022 Schedule
| Date | Topic | |
|---|---|---|
| April 20th | Judicial Leadership | |
| May 18th | Docket Management | |
| June 15th | ICWA Courts and Tribal Relations | |
| August 17th | Termination Settlement Conferences | |
| September 21st | Guardianship | |
| October 19th | Domestic Violence in Child Welfare Cases | |
| November 16th | Recent WA Supreme Court Case Decisions | |
For more information about the Judicial Community of Practice, please contact Laura Vogel at laura.vogel@courts.wa.gov