During the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic,
the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families,
Children and the Courts (CFCC) continues its important
work on behalf of vulnerable children and families.
Our Truancy Court Program
While the University of Baltimore School of Law and Baltimore City Public Schools are closed, CFCC staff and CFCC Student Fellows are pivoting to move the work of our Truancy Court Program (TCP) to online platforms to stay close to the more than 80 children and families in our program. Here are some of the ongoing activities our team is doing on behalf of our partners and families:

  • Arion Alston, our TCP Mentor, is making weekly calls to TCP families to check in and see if there is anything specific they need. That is something he does weekly throughout the TCP sessions, and his work will continue through this crisis.

  • TCP Social Worker Eileen Canfield and TCP Attorney Katie Davis are monitoring the developing impacts of COVID-19 in Baltimore City and are working with TCP families to provide information, advice, and referrals to resources in Baltimore City for issues ranging from food distribution to eviction prevention. One of the most important skills we teach in the TCP is self-advocacy, and this is an opportunity to reinforce those lessons.

  • We have ramped up the focus of our social media postings to feature links to resources and information needed by TCP families, especially encouraging students to read and use online learning resources.

  • Our TCP Team is reaching out to the TCP schools to provide direct volunteer services, including delivering backpacks of food for families who are suffering from children’s loss of access to free in-school meals.

  • While classes at the University of Baltimore are being held remotely, CFCC Student Fellows are continuing to work with Professor Barbara Babb and are doing important work to support the TCP Team—helping our TCP Team with their activities and continuing their own research and writing on issues of truancy, school discipline, restorative practices, and the school-to-prison pipeline.

During this difficult time, the CFCC team is staying in touch remotely to share resources, discuss the needs of TCP families, and continue our work. We are collaborating with agencies throughout Baltimore City.
CFCC’s Truancy Court Program:
15 Years of Challenges, Growth
and Accomplishment
UB School of Law Online Post-JD Certificate
This year we transitioned our Post-J.D. Certificate in Family Law to a fully online program, so classes in that program are continuing as scheduled. We are well positioned to serve attorneys and law school graduates who wish to deepen their focus in family law at a time when the need for professionals who bring a holistic, therapeutic approach to family law is more vital than ever. If you know anyone who may be interested in taking these online courses, please encourage them to apply—we are accepting applications now for fall enrollment.
Help Us Continue to Put the Needs of Families and Children First
About CFCC
The Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) promotes policies and practices that unite families, communities, and the justice system to improve the lives of children and families and the health of communities. CFCC advocates the use of therapeutic jurisprudence, the understanding that the legal system has an effect on behavior, emotions, and mental health, and an ecological or holistic approach to problem-solving.

CFCC is led by Barbara A. Babb, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law; Founder and Director of the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC); Director of the Post-J.D. Certificate in Family Law program at the University of Baltimore School of Law; and Editor-in-Chief of Family Court Review, published by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).

CFCC Staff and Contributors
Rebecca Stahl, CFCC Deputy Director; Michele Hong, CFCC Program Manager; Arion Alston, Truancy Court Program Mentor; Eileen Canfield, Truancy Court Program Social Worker; Katie Davis, Truancy Court Program Attorney; Spencer Hall, Truancy Court Program Coordinator;  Katrice Williams, CFCC Program Administrative Specialist.
Connect with us.

410.837-5750 or cfcc@ubalt.edu