Charles Cnty. Cir. Ct. Juvenile DCM Plan (introduction)

The Circuit Court for Charles County, Maryland

Juvenile Differentiated Case Management (DCM) Plan

TABLE OF CONTENTS

This Juvenile Differentiated Case Management (DCM) Plan is established in accordance with

Maryland Rule 16-302(b)(1)(A) which requires the County Administrative Judge to develop and,

upon approval by the Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, implement and monitor a

case management plan for t he prompt and efficient scheduling and disposition of actions in the

circuit court.

Consistent with the best interests of the child, the Circuit Court for Charles County, Maryland

seeks to handle each juvenile case fairly and to resolve each case promptly, according to applicable

statutes, Maryland Rules and administrative case time standards.1

Statement of Purpose

This Juvenile DCM P lan has been created to integrate statutorily mandated time frames with

caseflow events and court policy to promote the fair and efficient management of sensitive juvenile

cases. Customized procedural tracks govern each case type and reflect the steps taken in the

majority of cases. Meaningful events may be included in several tracks to facilitate timely

disposition early in the case. Postponement requests are governed by a written policy, approved

by the administrative judge, to avoid unnecessary delay whenever possible.

Essential components of the Juvenile Differentiated Case Management Plan include (1) review of

court processes and services that impact children and families to ensure responsiveness and

efficiency, and (2) evaluation of performance to address case processing issues as they arise.

The purpose of this DCM Plan is to provide an effective case management sy stem which will

assure: