A key theme from the Listening Sessions was the need for more training, across the board, at every level, from onboarding, to nuts and bolts substantive job training, to management training for supervisors and chief judges, to leadership development training. In addition, one of the best ways to make sure new employees understand and internalize the branch-wide Mission/Vision/Values being developed is to provide prompt, understandable, impactful training regarding the Code of Conduct, our Anti-Harassment and Anti-Retaliation Policies, and our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), as part of the onboarding process. With these goals in mind, the Training Working Group is developing recommendations for how training is developed and delivered across the state.
- The Training Working Group’s initial recommendation was to roll out on-demand anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training modules for judges, supervisors, and employees so that individuals can complete this training within weeks (or even days) of their start date. This rollout included a communication plan to announce the availability of this training and how to access it, and to make the training mandatory for judges through a Chief Justice Directive.
- Online, on-demand training on both anti-harassment/anti-discrimination, was rolled out late spring. An amendment to CJD 08-06 made this mandatory for judicial officers. Online, on-demand training was also rolled out for the Code of Conduct; this is mandatory for employees and is strongly encouraged for all judicial officers.
- Other training initiatives underway include:
- New Chief Judge Training. This training has been developed by the Chief Judges Council to help onboard new chief judges. The first component was held in May 2023. The second component was held on August 17, 2023.
- Intra-District Leadership Training. This will be a branch-wide training for leadership teams in each district (chief judge/court executive/chief probation officer). This multi-day training is now scheduled for April 2024.