Mitchel Feld serves as a staff attorney and director of the Council's Children's Defense Team.   He shares here some insights on recent NC legislative actions that impact the children of our state.  

As of December, a number of new laws took effect in North Carolina that affect children involved in juvenile court.  While the General Assembly made some beneficial changes, our legislators failed again to raise the minimum age for prosecution as an adult.

 

But let's start with the good news:  first among the beneficial changes is a new law that increases, from 14 to 16, the age when a child in custody can waive the right to have a parent, guardian, or attorney present during police interrogation.  This change recognizes the incapacity of children under 16 to grasp their legal situation and protects them against forfeiting their constitutional rights in the absence of an adult who can provide advice and guidance.

 

A second beneficial change is that now children under the age of 10 cannot be restrained unless it is "reasonably necessary for the safety of the officer, authorized person, or the juvenile."  Yes, children are shackled, but this change would restrict that practice and not allow the shackling of younger children without a legitimate safety concern.  This change reinforces the therapeutic and rehabilitative emphasis of juvenile court and reduces the imposition of unnecessary criminal stigma.

 

Council for Children's Rights is pleased to announce the appointment of Brandon M. Lofton as president of the Council's Board of Directors.  Lofton, an attorney with Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A., will serve an 18-month term beginning January 2016. 

 

"I have known Brandon for many years on the Council Board, and I am looking forward to working with him as President," said Council executive director Bob Simmons. "He brings to the role a positive and optimistic spirit, strong connections throughout the community, a collaborative and inclusive style, a precise approach that favors efficiency, and a desire to take action to improve the lives of all of our community's children through direct individual advocacy and the reform of systems and public policy."

 

An active member of the community, Lofton joined the board of the Council in 2010.  Currently, he also serves on the board of directors of the Levine Museum of the New South and the Housing Advisory Board of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.   He is a member of the William C. Friday Fellowship Class of 2014-2016 and the Mecklenburg County Bar Leadership Institute Class of 2011. 

Read more here

When you work for children, there are always challenges but some jobs are harder than others. Nothing may be more difficult, or more important, than the work of the Mecklenburg County Child Fatality Prevention and Protection Team (CFPPT).  In the most tragic of circumstances, they work tirelessly to learn and to prevent future fatalities.

This January, Bob Simmons took on the role of chair of the Mecklenburg County Team.  The North Carolina General Statutes provide for the creation in each County of both a Prevention Team (that reviews deaths) and a Protection Team (that reviews active cases of children in the child welfare system - DSS custody).  In Mecklenburg County, the teams have been combined because of their overlap with child welfare involvement through the relevance of abuse and neglect to the work of both. In addition, the enabling statute requires that the Chair of each County's team must not come from a public agency, and Council for Children's Rights, along with Teen Health Connection, have a history of filling the role in Mecklenburg County.

Over the years, the work of these teams across the state has resulted in a number of recommendations that have produced changes in law and public policy related to issues like graduated driver's licenses for teen drivers, car seats, swimming training and water safety, and safe sleep education.

The work combines the public and private child-serving agencies in a collaboration to investigate child deaths, determine whether there was any way for the interaction of the systems with the children to have reduced the likelihood of the death, and to recommend changes to address systemic gaps.  It is not about finding fault or placing blame; it is about saving children.  As a result, the reviews are open, honest, meaningful and effective.  Because it is mandated by law with both County Commission and General Assembly accountability, it also has the ability to effect real change.

Asked about his role and the Council's commitment Bob explains "It is important for the Council to be involved in the work because there is no other single non-public agency with a scope of individual and system advocacy that covers the full range of children's health, education, public safety, and welfare system involvement that is relevant to the cases reviewed.

 "There is no more important way for the Council to play a role in protecting the safety of our County's children than by helping make our systems work better to protect them from sources of harm that might lead to their death.  Serving on the CFPPT and accepting our duty to provide non-public leadership is at the core of our service  to the children of our community.  It is an honor and a privilege."       

R ace Matters for Juvenile Justice

Council ED Bob Simmons kicked off the recent Dismantling Racism workshop hosted by Race Matters for Juvenile Justice. This intense and powerful training experience is designed "to build the capacity of educators, health practitioners, child welfare advocates, judicial representatives, other professionals who are interested in understanding and eliminating racial inequities, disparities and dis-proportionality within our society."  Interested in learning more about the workshop and about Race Matters for Juvenile Justice?  Visit their web site here