Early Childhood Court: A Collaborative Approach to Child Well-Being

Early Childhood Court, an adapted approach modeled after Safe Babies Court Teams, is a collaborative approach among community partners to ensure trauma and fasd informed care, child well-being, and achieving permanency more quickly.

Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Time: 12-2pm EST (11-1pm CT, 10-12pm MT, 9-11am PST)

Cost: $39

Optional: $10 for 2 CEs for Florida LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, and CMSW

DESCRIPTION:

Early Childhood Court, an adapted approach modeled after Safe Babies Court Teams, is a collaborative approach among community partners to ensure trauma and FASD-informed care, child well-being, and achieving permanency more quickly. Safe Babies, a program of ZERO TO THREE™, helps states and communities strengthen child welfare and early childhood systems to support healthy development. Using the Safe Babies approach, the program works at multiple levels—child and family, community, and state—to promote early childhood well-being and long-term system improvements. Rooted in the court system, it also fosters collaboration across agencies to better serve families. This approach is especially valuable for supporting young children and families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).

Safe Babies Court Teams are also known as Early Childhood Court in many communities.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Understand the core components of the Safe Babies Court Team (SBCT) approach and its positive impact on infants, toddlers, families, and communities.
Identify the short- and long-term risk factors for babies prenatally exposed to alcohol.
Recognize the importance of a trauma-informed, FASD-informed court system for children involved in or at risk of entering child welfare.

This training may help prepare you for competencies related to the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health Endorsement. (For those outside Florida, check your state's requirements).

2 Continuing Education hours are available for Florida-Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Mental Health Counselors, and Certified Master Social Workers through CEBroker. Certificates will be provided for self-reporting.

Anne Marie Irving

Early Childhood Court Coordinator

Twelfth Judicial Circuit, Florida

Anne Marie Irving holds degrees in Psychology and Social Work and has earned professional certifications in Trauma and Resilience. With over 20 years of experience in child welfare, she has dedicated her career to supporting children and families through complex challenges with compassion and evidence-based practices. For the past six years, Anne Marie has worked directly with the Early Childhood Court in Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit, where she applies her expertise in trauma-informed care, child development, and family systems to promote healing, stability, and long-term well-being for young children and their caregivers.

Kathryn Shea, LCSW

FASD United Board Member

Kathryn Shea is a licensed clinical social worker with over 40 years of experience working with children with serious emotional and behavioral disorders and fetal alcohol and drug effects. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Kentucky. She served as the President and CEO of The Florida Center for Early Childhood in Sarasota, FL for 12 years, whose mission is the healthy development of young children, their families, and communities. Kathryn is a past president of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health and has been very involved in developing and expanding Florida’s Early Childhood Court initiative. Ms. Shea currently serves on the board of FASD United (formerly NOFAS) and is an independent consultant at the local, state, and national level. Kathryn has received numerous awards for her work in infant mental health, FASD, and child advocacy.