THANK YOU SUMMER 2020 INTERNS!
NACC thanks our 2020 Summer Interns for all of their great work supporting NACC's programs and wishes you all the best in your future careers!
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Jenna Jurado
Univ. of Miami
Law School
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Kelli Galaway
Washington Univ. of St. Louis Law
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Jillian Wolons
George Washington Univ.
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Melissa Sumner
Univ. of Denver Law School
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Lauren Martin
Univ. of Denver Law School
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Not pictured: Karuna Srivastav, Georgetown Law School; Kaylin Ronacher, University of Denver Law School; Kate Zilke, Northwestern University School of Communications
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Congratulations to the newest Child Welfare Law Specialists! |
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Valeree Adams, JD, CWLS
North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts
High Point, ND
Ref. Leigh Feldman, JD, CWLS
43rd Circuit Court – Family Division
Cassopolis, MI
Erin Mayfield, JD, CWLS
Youth Law Center
Des Moines, IA
Carol Mussman, JD, CWLS
Mussman & Mussman, LLP
Modesto, CA
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Sasha Stern, M.Ed, JD, CWLS
Children's Law Center of California
Monterey Park, CA
Caroline Wilson, JD, CWLS
Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts
Jonesboro, AR
Stanley Wu, MA, JD, CWLS
Children's Law Center of California
Monterey Park, CA
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Child Welfare Law Specialists in the News
Carlyn Hicks, CWLS, appointed Hinds County Judge
Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Randolph has temporarily appointed Jackson attorney Carlyn M. Hicks as a special judge for the Hinds County Court. Judge Hicks had served as director of the Mission First Legal Aid Office, a pro bono initiative of Mississippi College School of Law, since August 2017. Read more here.
Lori Burns-Bucklew, CWLS, Co-Counsel on Kansas Foster Care Settlement
A new federal civil rights settlement agreement has promised to transform Kansas’ foster care system and end years of victimization and trauma for its children. The plaintiff co-counsel team includes Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Kansas City attorney and Child Welfare Law Specialist Lori Burns-Bucklew, the National Center for Youth Law, Children’s Rights and the global law firm DLA Piper says Kansas Appleseed. Read more here.
Get Certified and Join the CWLS Community!
Discounted Application Fee for NACC Members: $375 (Nonmembers: $500)
This application fee includes the exam and a hard copy of Child Welfare Law and Practice, 3rd Edition.
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NACC AMICUS & POLICY NEWS |
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NACC Joins Hawai'i Amicus Brief in Support of Parent Right to Counsel
Young people in foster care benefit when all parties to a dependency action, including parents, receive high-quality legal representation throughout the entire case. NACC recently joined Lawyers for Equal Justice, the Legal Aid Society of Hawai'i, the ACLU of Hawai'i Foundation, and the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel in an amicus brief advocating this position before the Supreme Court of the State of Hawai'i. Read more here.
NACC & Partners Support the Child Welfare Emergency Assistance Act
NACC joined partners to advance the Child Welfare Emergency Assistance Act, which responds to the urgent needs of the child welfare system caused by the COVID-19 crisis, and reflects many of the recommendations elevated in an April 10 sign-on letter to the House and Senate leadership. Find the press release here, a one-page summary here, and the full text here.
Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act Pending
Senator Murray has introduced a bill that includes $1.5 billion to support the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and makes an explicit use of funds for purchasing PPE and other safety precautions to support the child welfare workforce in conducting in person or remote visits and investigations. You can review the fact sheet here and the full legislative text here.
Urge Congress to Pass the Pandemic TANF Assistance Act
The Pandemic TANF Assistance Act would establish a new $10 billion Coronavirus Emergency Assistance Grant program to help low-income families and individuals experiencing significant financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. It would also temporarily wave work requirements and other barriers to assistance for TANF beneficiaries who may be unable to complete program work requirements due to state economic closures, social distancing measures, illness or caring for a loved one. Learn more here.
Protect Miranda Rights for Kids!
In most jurisdictions, youth facing prosecution in adult criminal court do not have heightened due process protections despite the dire consequences of waiver. The National Registry of Exonerations found that roughly 40% of youth under 18 years old falsely confessed to a crime they didn't commit. For kids under 14, it is more than 85 percent. NACC recently endorsed the Protecting Miranda Rights for Kids Act, which would require that before children can be interrogated by police or waive their Miranda Rights, that they must consult with an attorney and their parent. If you are interested in supporting this legislation, please email [email protected] in Congressman Cardenas' Office.
NACC Supports FAMILIES Act
NACC supports the FAMILIES Act, which would create a Parenting Sentencing Alternative (PSA) at the federal level while also funding current states with PSA programs and states interested in planning for such programs. Join in support here.
Standing Against Family Separation
Infant-Toddler Court Teams Make a Difference
NACC supports the Strengthening America's Families Act which would spread the infant-toddler court team approach to build state and local systems that support a range of comprehensive, trauma-informed infant, toddler, and family services. The bill would also provide technical assistance to guide the states and local programs; almost 100 sites around the country have implemented this approach or are in the process of doing so. Find out more here.
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The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) and its partners are calling for the immediate shut down of Sequel Youth and Family Services, a for-profit company that manages youth correctional and child welfare facilities across the country. In May, the #JusticeForCornelius campaign shined a national spotlight on Sequel. A 16-year-old black boy named Cornelius Fredricks died after a horrific use of forceful restraint at the Sequel-run Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo. NJJN joined the campaign with its member organization, Michigan Center for Youth Justice, to bring local and national pressure on the state to end its contracts with Sequel. A petition that garnered more than 300,000 signatures, social media advocacy, demonstrations and media attention resulted in the state of Michigan revoking the Lakeside Academy license and effectively cutting ties with Sequel.
A similar effort to shut Sequel down in Alabama is now underway. NJJN member Southern Poverty Law Center, Children’s Rights Inc. and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program called on Alabama Commissioners to cut all ties with Sequel after publishing a 50-page report detailing the egregious, harmful and illegal conditions and treatment that children in Alabama Sequel facilities face. All of these efforts come after several years of documented neglect and abuse at Sequel facilities. NJJN and its partners are committed to getting Sequel shut down across the country to end its abuse of children.
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Our very first Child Welfare Law Virtual Conference is just weeks away!
Take a look at our eBrochure to see the schedule, sessions, and events we have planned.
Attendees can participate in every session live, plus recordings of the sessions will be available to watch on the conference app for a full year!
Check out the ebrochure for information on CLE accreditation!
Join the conversation on social media! #NACC2020
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NACC COVID-19 RESOUCE HUB |
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NACC continues to answer the community's call for guidance and advocacy support regarding COVID-19 and its impact on clients, cases, processes, and policy. See continuously updated resources on NACC's COVID-19 Resource Hub.
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NACC State-Based Listservs in California and Oklahoma!
NACC has recently launched state-based listservs in Florida, Indiana, Georgia, California, and Oklahoma. This is a supplement to our national listserv. If you are a California or Oklahoma child practitioner who would like to join your respective state list, please email [email protected].
- Children and Families at a Crossroads: Client-Centered Cross-Practice Representation of Undocumented Children --CLE credit available
- The Next Level: Appellate Practice in Child Welfare Cases -- CLE credit available
- How To Use Federal Reasonable Efforts Requirement to Advocate for Older Youth -- CLE credit available
- What Do Foster Youth and Other Stakeholders Want From Their Lawyer? Research Findings Chart the Course to High-Quality Legal Representation -- CLE credit available
- New Legal Resources for Incorporating the Family First Act into Your Practice in 2020 -- CLE credit available
- And More!
- Advocacy for Youth in Congregate Care during COVID-19
- Trauma-Responsive Skills for Lawyers During COVID-19
- Zealous Advocacy During COVID-19: Practical Tips and Best Practices
- NACC General Membership Webinar on COVID-19
- Youth Voices
- Resource Spotlight
- Law Office Corner
- Research Highlights
Want to join the NACC listserv? Need help logging in?
Join the conversation on social media!
#ChildRep2020
#NACC2020
#ChildWelfareLawSpecialist
#PromotingExcellence #BuildingCommunity #AdvancingJustice
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NACC'S ONLINE RED BOOK TRAINING COURSE
Fall session is now open for registration!
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Fall Session: September 9, 2020 - October 21, 2020
The material covered in the course is drawn from Child Welfare Law and Practice: Representing Children, Parents, and State Agencies in Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Cases (3rd Edition).
The cost is $200 per person for groups and NACC members ($100 for CWLS; $275 for nonmembers). All live sessions are recorded and participants will have access to the recordings for six months (participants who can’t attend certain sessions will be able view the recordings at their leisure).
Registration for this course includes access to the electronic version of the Red Book for six months. Hard copies of the Red Book are also available for purchase.
NACC’s staff is ready to assist in registering a group for the course, ordering hard copies of the Red Book, and/or coordinating a cohort to become certified as CWLS. Please contact Daniel Trujillo, NACC Certification Director, at [email protected] for group registrations, additional information about the course, or CWLS certification.
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National Association of Counsel for Children | www.NACCchildlaw.org |
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