July Program Agenda

Judge Deborah B. Andrews is a Judge of the Superior Court in Los Angeles County currently assigned to the Dependency Court.  Elected in June 1994, Judge Andrews directed the specialized criminal Domestic Violence Court in the Long Beach courthouse for more than a decade.  During that time she instituted a Protective Order Committee which still meets regularly.  She also developed a program to provide in-courtroom assistance to the victims of domestic violence, was instrumental in the opening of Kids’ Place (the children’s waiting room in the Long Beach courthouse), and established the South District Drug Court.

In early 2009 Judge Andrews requested to be assigned to the Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court, where she now hears Juvenile Dependency matters relating to children who have been abused, neglected, and abandoned.  Issues of domestic violence and substance abuse still figure prominently in her caseload, which includes more than 1000 children under her supervision.

Judge Andrews earned both a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from California State University Long Beach.  The first woman to serve as Editor-in-Chief of the Whittier Law Review, Judge Andrews graduated number one in her class from Whittier Law School in 1982.

Overview
On any given day in Dependency Court a judicial officer is likely to face numerous families in crisis - distraught parents whose children have just been detained, a family diligently working through the reunification process, parents whose children are living with them under the supervision of the Department of Children and Family Services, and even parents whose parental rights are about to be terminated.  Also in the Dependency Court caseload are teenagers and younger children in legal guardianships or planned permanently living arrangements, formerly known as long-term foster care.  The occasional adoption is a cause for celebration.

This presentation will include an overview of the Dependency process from the perspective of a bench officer. Judge Andrews will discuss basic terminology and the way a case progresses through court.  She will describe the types of hearings that are typical and the usual timelines. She will also discuss the impact of domestic violence and substance abuse in Dependency proceedings, as well as the crucial role played by providers of services to these troubled families.  Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions.