The Children's Voice - Good news from Raleigh

THE CHILDREN'S VOICE

June 2016

Some Good News From Raleigh

For Youth In NC Adult Prisons

With reports of another mass shooting and an increasingly strident political scene, some good news out of Raleigh last week was especially welcome. W. David Guice, NC commissioner of adult correction and juvenile justice, announced plans to eliminate the use of solitary confinement for inmates who are 17 and younger. The practice is scheduled to be phased out by September 1.

In addition, Guice reported that the state will establish a new Youthful Offender Program that will focus on the educational, behavioral health and treatment needs of these young offenders. "Eliminating the practice of isolation for children under 18 incarcerated in the North Carolina prison system is a positive step by the Department of Public Safety," said Mitchell Feld, director of Children's Defense for the Council. "It will be even more effective when combined with a Youthful Offender Program that recognizes and treats the individual and complex physical, mental, and educational needs of the children with therapeutic services based in evidence-informed research."

Council for Children's Rights hopes this will be the first of many steps by the Department of Public Safety to recognize the unique needs of court-involved children and to foster their long-term success.

Executive Director Bob Simmons adds, "We encourage the North Carolina General Assembly to provide adequate ongoing funding to make the program successful until the General Assembly brings the State up to the standards of the rest of the nation by raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to include 16 and 17-year-olds. While the program announced by DPS is progress, children should not be in adult prison to start with, and the DPS program does nothing to protect the children against what will follow in adult prison for them when they turn 18 during their sentences or against the consequences of having an adult criminal record when they are released and attempt to resume their lives." Visit our blog for more information and links to news articles on this new program.

Council For Children's Rights Releases Annual Research Report

As part of Council for Children's Rights' efforts to better understand who we serve and to use data to improve service delivery and the systems in which we work, we will produce an annual research report. This preview edition serves to a) provide background on our approach to research, b) provide readers with an idea of what to expect from future reports, c) detail the Council's direct advocacy programs, and d) discuss preliminary findings from the first six months of data collection.

As our fiscal year comes to an end, so too ends our baseline year of internal data collection. Emily R. Tamilin, Council's Director of Research and Public Policy reports, "We are very excited about the opportunity presented by our research and policy work where we can integrate internal data, external data, and information about what works to better serve children in our community and to improve local systems. We are involved in several local collaboratives dedicated to using good information to improve outcomes for children in our community. Locating and accessing data and information is often difficult; we are committed to being a valuable source of that data and information for partners, stakeholder, elected officials, and funders." Read and download the report here.

CMS Announces New Bullying Prevention Regulations

On Monday, June 20th, CMS superintendent Ann Clark announced the expansion of bullying prevention regulations designed to offer clarity and guidance to teachers and principals and to provide "a safe and joyful journey for our transgender students." A bullying prevention policy has been in place since 2008 and that policy is not changing. Rather, these new regulations are about supporting that policy for all students and making sure that CMS is in compliance with the law as set down by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which recently held that transgender students must be allowed to use restrooms based on the gender they identify with.

Clark was quick to point out that this action is not just about bathrooms or made in response to HB-2. Work on the regulations had been going on for months prior to action by the General Assembly. "Supporting every student means every student," said Clark, "and this is about doing a better job. This is about courage, understanding and compassion - for all our children."

Council for Children's Rights stands with CMS on the need to ensure a safe and caring environment for all students to learn and to achieve academic success. Through our work with children, particularly our work on child health and safety, we understand the need for both support and protection on issues of gender identity. We applaud CMS for taking the initiative to adopt comprehensive regulations that address those needs. Read more here:

Upcoming Events

The Young Ambassadors Group invites you to mark your calendars for September 22nd and join them for a fun night benefiting the work of the Council. Details on table/individual ticket sales and sponsorship packages are coming soon! For more information, feel free to contact Sarah Melton at [email protected] or 704-943-9693.

SummerSHARE Launches - July 11 - 22

It's almost here! Now in it's second year, SummerSHARE is a two-week campaign designed to encourage donations of tangible gifts and to raise awareness of the needs of our community throughout the summer months. During the campaign, we invite you to purchase goods off the Council's Amazon Wish List or, if you prefer, to make a financial contribution. Whether you make a donation of a children's book, an item of clothing or office supplies, you help to "give need a vacation" this summer. Council is joining more than 70 other local non-profits in this community-wide effort and w e'd love for you to be a part of it! Learn more about how you can help get out the word and participate this summer at our SummerShareClt page.

Recent Events

Thanks To You We Met The Challenge

Thanks to an outpouring of support from generous community members like you, every dollar of The Leon Levine Match Challenge was secured. We are so thankful to see time and time again that you are the hero children deserve. Want to expand your impact? Keep the momentum going and ensure every child has their rights protected and their voices heard by donating today. Thank You!

YAG And VCS Host Events

Next Generation - Young Ambassadors

Trey and Jane Tune (l - shown here with YAG Chair Mary Louise Wilson and ED Bob Simmons) welcomed current and prospective members of the Youth Ambassadors Group to their home for a informative and fun event in early June. YAG is a group of young professionals committed to supporting and promoting the Council.

Voices For Children Society

Thank you to Craig and Linda Weisbruch, members of the Council's Voices for Children Society for hosting the annual "thank you" reception this month. As part of the Council's leadership gift society, VCS members contribute $1,000 or more annually to support our mission.

Southern Juvenile Defender Conference

The Sixth Annual Southern Juvenile Defense Regional Summit was held June 16 & 17 at Charlotte School of Law. Colleagues from across the Southern states gathered to participate in a one-of-a-kind program designed to inform, educate, and build the southern region juvenile defense community. Council for Children's Rights served as a host agency for the event.

This year's Summit celebrated the 5th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision J.D.B. v. North Carolina. Presentations included the state of Miranda since the decision, innovative legal challenges to confessions, as well as broader discussions of the impact of the J.D.B on youth defense issues. The program also included a presentation on social media and cyber-sex/cyber bullying by CFCR staff attorney Ken Harris and CFCR social worker Sara Ward.