Who Are We?
Florida’s Early Childhood Court (ECC) is a specialized problem-solving court serving families with children between the ages of 0-5 years old who have been removed from the home due to allegations of abuse and/or neglect. Early Childhood Courts utilize a trauma informed, non-adversarial approach to address the underlying issues that led to the removal of the child(ren) and to support the family, while also holding the family accountable. Core components of early childhood court include judicial leadership, a program coordinator, monthly court hearings, evidence-based Child-Parent Psychotherapy, frequent parent-child contact, and the use of multidisciplinary family team meetings.
The goal of Early Childhood Court is to improve child safety and well-being; change the experience and outcomes of young children in the child welfare system; heal trauma and repair the parent/child relationship; expedite permanency; and stop the intergenerational cycle of abuse, neglect, and violence.
Program Benefits
- Increased visitation with your child
- Specialized family therapy sessions
- Parenting education Integrated decision family team meetings
- Coaching to help you succeed Icebreaker/co-parenting meetings
- More frequent court hearings to review progress
- Stopping the cycle of your child entering the Dependency system