10 Tips for Creating an
Elder Justice Center
 The “Do”s & “Don’t”s 
Michael L. Bridenback
Court Administrator
13th Judicial Circuit – Tampa, FL
What is an Elder Justice Center?
The Elder Justice Center is a designated facility
for elders offering public education, referrals,
victim advocacy, and case management
services. It is elder friendly and easily
accessible to seniors involved in legal
proceedings.
Tip 1:  Do cultivate judicial leadership.
Take an active role in increasing
judicial awareness of issues relating
to elders and the courts. Take the
time to develop some key proponents.
Tip 2: Don’t go it alone.
Form a task force comprised of the key
stakeholders from your community. Take a
look at existing services and programs, access
issues, guardianship & mental health
concerns, and other areas – to determine
where the needs of the elderly are and aren’t
being met.
Tip 3: Do be sure to define your mission.
What components should your Elder Justice
Center have? Case management? Victim
assistance? Information & referral? Does your
community support a shift in the role of your
court from an objective arbitrator to a
community leader on elder issues?
Tip 4: Don’t overlook existing resources,
while pursuing supplemental funding.
Take a look at existing court staff, including
case managers and technology experts.
Pursuing collaborative efforts with courtrelated entities, such as clerk’s and
prosecutors, may improve your chances to
obtain grant funding.
Tip 5: Do provide a designated area.
Have one place where elders can go for
assistance regarding court-related matters.
Give them a safe place to explain their
problems and get the information they need.
Tip 6: Don’t expect success without initiating
educational efforts at multiple levels.
From helping judges to be able to identify
elder abuse and properly respond, to advising
other agencies as to the services offered, and
to educating the elderly on a variety of topics
which may help keep them from becoming a
victim, education must be a key component of
your Elder Justice Center.
Tip 7: Do include a victim assistance
component.
This is what separates an Elder Justice Center from
pure court case management or pure information
and referral services. Often times elderly victims
have never had any contact with a court in their
lifetimes. Just assisting elderly victims of domestic
violence with obtaining a civil injunctions, alone, can
have a huge impact on your community and your
courts.
Tip 8: Don’t forget to build in court case
management resources for your judges.
Case management can help in a variety of ways …by helping a
domestic violence judge ensure the protection of an elderly
victim…by helping a criminal court judge keep her lengthy
docket moving through the coordination of the best time for
an elderly victim suffering from dementia to testify…by
identifying indicators in the review of a guardianship report
that suggest that a guardian may have breached his fiduciary
duty to a ward of the court.
Tip 9: Do what is necessary to maintain
strong community partnerships.
Your Elder Justice Center will be most effective, in
coordinating existing senior resources, when it is an
active part of the aging services community in your
area. Strong working relationships with law
enforcement, the prosecutor’s office, and social
service providers are essential to effectively address
the problem of elder abuse.
Tip 10: Don’t be afraid to have your
initiative evaluated.
Data based research & evaluation regarding
your Elder Justice Center will help inform your
court’s search for the best tools, policies and
practices relating to elders and your court.
Resources and Links
• Elder Justice Center Program
• The Elder Justice Center – A Program
Evaluation (USF School of Social Work)
• Retirement Research Foundation Grant – Final
Report & Budget
• Elder Court Task Force Final Report
• For more info, e-mail [email protected]
Additional Information & Acknowledgements
For additional tips, resources, and education,
visit NCSC’s Center for Elders and the Courts.
This program was made possible through a generous grant from
The Retirement Research Foundation.