Child Development for Judges

  • Chapel Hill, NC

This three-day course, offered by the North Carolina Judicial College, is designed for North Carolina district court judges who hear abuse, neglect, and dependency; delinquency and undisciplined; or child custody cases. The objective of the course is to allow participants to learn about child development in a small-group, interactive setting. To make this possible, attendance will be limited to 30 participants and an application is required.

 Program Topics:

  • Normative child development: infancy to adolescence
  • Impact of abuse, neglect, and other trauma on development and practical strategies to build a trauma-informed courtroom
  • Autism spectrum disorders, early onset behavior disorders, and mental health conditions
  • Making developmentally appropriate judicial decisions

 

This course qualifies for CJE credit. This is one of five courses required for juvenile certification and one of two courses required for judges new to a family court rotation in a family court district.

  • Chapel Hill, NC
    March 9 - 11, 2026
    UNC School of Government
    400 South Road
    Knapp-Sanders Building
    Chapel Hill, NC 27514
    View Additional Information
    Must apply
    30

Materials from the 2024 Child Development training are available online here.

For all registration questions, resetting passwords, or login issues please contact:

Dale Zuckert

Assistant Registrar
919.966.4414
For questions regarding course details, including location, schedule, materials, and continuing education credits, please contact:
Associate Professor of Public Law and Government