December 2019
Full Court Press
is the newsletter of the University of Baltimore School of Law
Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC).
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Tackling the Challenges of Homelessness
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Homelessness and housing insecurity threaten the health, well-being and success of urban children and youth.
A recent study has found that on any given night, 17 percent of the U.S. population is homeless, including an estimated 1.4 million students enrolled in school. The overall number of homeless people has increased almost one percent between 2016 and 2017, with the largest percentage increase among unaccompanied children and youth.
In the Fall 2019 issue of the
Unified Family Court Connection
, CFCC offers a variety of perspectives from distinguished experts on the issue of homelessness and children.
Peter Edelman, Esq.,
the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law and Public Policy and Faculty Director of the Center on Poverty and Inequality at the Georgetown Law Center, discusses how homelessness advocates must join to create justice for the homeless.
Rexanah P. Wyse, Esq.,
a Policy and Program Analyst for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, writes about how homelessness is a solvable systemic issue.
Rebecca Lorick
, Program Director of My Sister’s Place, a day resource center for homeless women and children in Baltimore City, offers a first-person perspective on homelessness.
Barbara Samuels
, Managing Attorney of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland’s Fair Housing Program, writes about the importance of safe and stable housing for early child development and lifelong well-being.
CFCC’s
Unified Family Court Connection
is the only publication in the United States devoted to the development and advancement of unified family courts. To access earlier issues
click here
.
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Public Defender Mark Friedenthal Honored
For Truancy Prevention Work
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Mark Friedenthal, Assistant Public Defender at the Office of the Public Defender of Maryland in Baltimore,
(
at right with Katie Davis, Truancy Court Program Attorney, Spencer Hall,
Truancy Court Program
Coordinator and Eileen Canfield,
Truancy Court Program
Social Worker)
is the recipient of the
2019 Anthony “Bubba” Green Star Player Award
for his extraordinary, 15-year commitment to CFCC’s Truancy Court Program.
Friedenthal has served as a volunteer
Truancy Court Program
Judge since the program’s inception in January 2005. He has guided and inspired more than 600 students in Baltimore City Public Schools and has participated in more than 300
Truancy Court Program
sessions.
A tireless advocate for children within the juvenile justice system, Friedenthal is a valued member of the
Truancy Court Program
team, in addition to managing a full caseload as a juvenile public defender. He also is active with Baltimore City Teen Court and other organizations throughout the city that work on behalf of Baltimore’s youth.
“Working as a truancy court judge over the past 20 years has been a great experience. It has given me the opportunity to help keep students on task, in school, and away from the delinquency system,” Friedenthal said. “Being the first recipient of this award was the greatest of honors for a program I truly enjoy being a part of.”
CFCC created the Anthony “Bubba” Green Star Player Award in recognition of Anthony “Bubba” Green, a former Baltimore Colts defensive lineman, and a long-time
Truancy Court Program
Mentor, who died in June 2019. The award will be given annually to the individual associated with the
Truancy Court Program
who best exemplifies Bubba’s commitment to working on behalf of others, take on new challenges and persevere in the face of adversity.
CFCC looks forward to celebrating the
Truancy Court Program
’s 15
th
anniversary in 2020!
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Noteworthy
Presentations, Collaborations and Events
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At the invitation of Anne Arundel County Circuit Court
Judge Ronald A. Silkworth (Ret.)
, CFCC Director
Barbara A. Babb
will speak at a luncheon meeting of Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judges on December 19, 2019. She will address
Caring for Families in Court,
the focus of her
new book,
coauthored with Judith D. Moran.
In collaboration with the
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC)
, CFCC just concluded four days of continuing education for attorneys, counselors, psychologists, mediators, social workers and other family court professionals. The trainings featured
Debra K. Carter, PhD
, on
Essential Elements of Parenting Coordination
and
Philip M. Stahl, PhD, ABPP
, on
Critical Issues in Child Custody: To Share or Not to Share?
Katie Davis
, an attorney for CFCC’s Truancy Court Program and
Rebecca Stahl
, CFCC’s Deputy Director, presented at a Maryland Problem Solving Courts conference on November 20, 2019. Ms. Davis discussed
Engaging Parents to Reduce Absenteeism
and Ms. Stahl addressed
Trauma-Responsive Tools for Interacting with Court Involved Families
. The training conference was attended by judges, magistrates, attorneys, treatment staff, court coordinators and case managers involved in Maryland's Adult and Juvenile Drug Courts, Mental Health Courts, Veterans Courts, Truancy Reduction Courts, and Re-Entry Court.
On November 18,
The Baltimore Sun
published
a commentary
authored by
Professor
Barbara Babb
and
Rebecca Stahl
on the clear connection between childhood trauma and truancy.
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Enrolling Now for the Spring Session of the UB School of Law
’
s
Online Post-J.D. Certificate in Family Law
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The University of Baltimore School of Law’s Post-J.D. Certificate in Family Law is
now completely online and enrolling for the spring session.
Hands-on and practice-focused, the
Post-J.D. Certificate in Family Law
offers an interdisciplinary education in all aspects of family law, including child development, financial issues, advocacy and family psychology. The program provides direct access to faculty who are distinguished attorneys committed to best practices in family law.
Enrollees may begin classes in either the Spring or Fall semester. Two classes will be offered in Spring 2020:
The Craft of Problem-Solving and Advocacy in Family Law
and
Understanding the Business of Practicing Family Law.
Castell Abner, Jr., a Delaware attorney who earned the certificate in 2019, has praised the program, saying, “The faculty take a personal interest in your success. We are learning with attorneys and judges who are practicing now. I feel prepared to apply the skills gained in the program to my practice.”
Applications for admission are available at
law.ubalt.edu/familylawcert
or download
a summary
here
. Applications will continue to be accepted until the program is full.
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In Caring for Families in Court: An Essential Approach to Family Justice
, Barbara A. Babb and Judith D. Moran envision the family court as a "care center" and make a compelling case that reforms to the family justice system can achieve positive, long-lasting outcomes for families.
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CFCC's
Truancy Court Program Toolkit, Second Edition
provides a step-by-step guide to show individual schools and entire jurisdictions how to start and maintain an effective truancy reduction program. The
Toolkit
can be adapted to suit your school and students.
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The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) has developed three
new guides
to drive civil and family justice reform in state courts. The guides focus on empowering people who come to court, especially self-represented litigants.
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The Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts 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 an ecological or holistic approach and the use of therapeutic jurisprudence, the understanding that the legal system has an effect on behavior, emotions and mental health.
Barbara A. Babb
is an 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 at the University of Baltimore School of Law; and Editor-in-Chief of
Family Court Review
.
CFCC Staff and Contributors
Rebecca Stahl, CFCC Deputy Director; Michele Hong-Polansky, 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.
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