BINGHAMTON, NY - Honorable Judith F. O'Shea, Administrative Judge for the 6th Judicial District will welcome the Honorable Richard J. FitzGerald and Robert Lewis, M.Ed., M.S.W, to a daylong conference entitled "Improving Family Outcomes through the Court Process" on JUNE 16, 2004.

Judge FitzGerald will give a national overview of Family Treatment Drug Courts and lessons learned in "Model Court" jurisdictions to improve workload efficiency and produce better outcomes for families who are involved in the family court process due to drug and alcohol issues.

Robert Lewis will speak to the topic of "Families for Teens-A New Approach to Permanency for Adolescents". He is a consultant and author who has expertise in the area of life-long family connections for adolescents in the child welfare system.

This conference is for judges, lawyers, child welfare case managers, and other practitioners involved in the Family Court Process. It will be held from 9am-3pm at the New York State Office Building, 18th floor, 44 Hawley St. Binghamton, NY.

The conference is a collaborative effort of Broome County Family Court, Broome County Bar Association, Broome County Family Violence Prevention Council and the NYS Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children's Court Improvement Project.

For More information Contact: Family Violence Prevention Council Office at 607.778.2153 or Judge Rita Connerton's office at 607.778.6074.