NACC Files Amicus Brief in Maryland ICPC Case
NACC has long opposed the unconstitutional application of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) to non-resident parents from both a legal and policy perspective. In February, NACC filed an amicus brief in the Court of Appeals of Maryland further advocating this position. The brief’s appendix includes a
national survey of state case law on ICPC
and its application. Read more
here
NACC Community Surveys: Crossover Youth & Youth Engagement
NACC is embarking on two new projects in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. The Crossover Youth Project is examining pathways to the juvenile justice system for youth in foster care in order to develop actionable practice and policy recommendations to prevent unnecessary justice involvement. The Youth Engagement Project will bring youth voice to NACC’s programs and policies and support the development and expansion of youth engagement in the children’s legal advocacy community. Both projects are currently conducting surveys and we welcome your participation:
Deadline to participate in both surveys: Tuesday, March 10, 2020
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UPCOMING MEMBERS-ONLY WEBINAR
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How To Use the Federal Reasonable Efforts Requirement to Advocate for Older Youth in Foster Care
Tuesday, March 17, 2:00-3:30pm ET
Presented by:
Kristen Pisani-Jacques
, Training Director, National Association of Counsel for Children
Jenny Pokempner,
Senior Staff Attorney,
Juvenile Law Center
Advocating for older youth in foster care presents unique challenges, barriers, and opportunities. This webinar will examine the key provisions of federal legislation that can be used to improve outcomes for older youth. Areas of focus include:
- Enforcing the normalcy and reasonable and prudent parent requirements;
- Utilizing transition planning requirements to improve accountability, ensure service provision and inter-agency collaboration;
- Using requirements around permanency planning to ensure older youth are connected with family, and
- Marshaling the reasonable efforts requirement to leverage effective permanency services and sustain the focus on permanency as youth age.
The presenters will offer advocacy tips and strategies for incorporating these statutes in cases involving older youth. The webinar will also discuss common barriers to achieving permanency for older youth and the acquisition of adult living competencies after foster care, creative ways to address and mitigate those barriers, and how to empower clients to be active participants in their case plans. Through hypotheticals and case studies, participants will leave with concrete strategies for how to use the language of reasonable efforts to lead to stronger outcomes for youth emancipating from foster care.
Accredited for 2 hours of CLE in Colorado. CLE approval in at least one state can streamline an attorney’s CLE application in another state. Check with your jurisdiction for details on simplified CLE applications and online learning requirements. All the documents needed to support your CLE application will be posted online after the presentation.
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CERTIFICATION NEWS
Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) certification is a professional achievement that signifies an attorney's specialized knowledge, skill, and verified expertise in the field of child welfare law.
CWLS certification is for children's attorneys, parent's attorneys, agency attorneys, judges, and policy advocates/professors. #ChildWelfareLawSpecialist
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Congratulations to Our Newest Child Welfare Law Specialists!
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Justin Balzer, JD, CWLS
Bismarck-Mandan Public Defender's Office
Bismarck, ND
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Erin Stubbs, JD, CWLS
Stubbs Law Group
Gallatin, TN
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Catherine Enright, JD, CWLS
Bonner County Public Defender's Office
Sandpoint, ID
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Get Certified and Join the CWLS Community!
NACC members benefit from 2020 pricing: Members $375 (Non-Members $500)
This application fee includes the exam and a hard copy of
Child Welfare Law and Practice, 3rd Edition.
The exam can now be taken online at a time and place convenient to you.
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NACC's RED BOOK TRAINING COURSE is Underway!
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CLE Credits Available!
Missed the first session? No problem - Register today and catch up on the recordings!
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NACC's online Red Book Training Course is designed to assist you in preparing for the Child Welfare Law Specialist (CWLS) examination, and serves as an excellent review of core dependency competency areas. 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 "Red Book"). The course consists of seven weekly webinars. Participants can join the course live or watch/listen to recordings --
includes access to electronic Red Book and course recordings until July 31.
Spring Course: March 4th, 2020 through April 15, 2020.
Registration through March 24.
This course has been accredited for
8 hours of CLE
in Colorado, including 1 hour of ethics credit. CLE approval in at least one MCLE state can streamline an attorney’s CLE application in another state. It has been approved in two formats - for those who plan to participate live each session and for those who intend to watch the recordings. Please check with the CLE authority in your jurisdiction with regard to specific online and on-demand learning requirements or limitations. Certificates of attendance and accompanying documentation will be made available to participants after the course concludes.
To register a group of attorneys from your office, please contact NACC at
Training@NACCchildlaw.org
.
We can also create custom packages to include hard copy Red Books and/or CWLS certification applications.
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Baltimore Awaits!
Please join the NACC community August 24 – 26, 2020 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront the 43
rd
National Child Welfare Law Conference. The NACC conference is a unique opportunity for child, youth, and family legal and policy professionals to continue their legal education, exchange new ideas, build skills, and network with colleagues and friends.
Pre-conference sessions on August 23 will include NACC’s Red Book Training and Children’s Law Office Convening.
Register Today
It’s Early Registration Season.
Register before 4/30/2020 to receive our lowest registration rates of 2020:
· $400 for Child Welfare Law Specialists
· $425 for NACC Individual or Organizational Members
· $600 for Nonmembers
Sponsor. Exhibit. Advertise.
We invite you to sponsor, exhibit and advertise, and be a part of this extraordinary event. You will demonstrate your organization’s commitment to children’s rights and family justice, as well as promote your brand to a national audience of legal professionals and children’s advocates.
Conference Group Registration
If you are sending a group the conference and would like to streamline your registration process, take a look at our Group Registration Form
here
.
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SCOTUS Grants Cert in NACC Amicus Case
In 2018, NACC joined an
amicus brief
led by Children’s Rights in the case of
Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.
The brief supported Philadelphia’s anti-discrimination policy, which upholds the rights of young people experiencing foster care and is consistent with best practices around safety, well-being and permanency. In April 2019, the Third Circuit agreed with Amici and
affirmed
the district court’s decision to deny injunctive relief. On February 24, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari in this matter. NACC will keep our members updated as the case progresses.
Support the COURTS Act!
NACC and our partners continue to urge Congress to pass the Continuation of Useful Resources to States (COURTS) Act. This bipartisan, federal legislation would provide an important technical fix for Court Improvement Program (CIP) funding that supports child welfare court training and improvements.
Read our joint request here
and share it with your colleagues – then contact your congressional representatives and request their support!
Every Child Deserves a Family Act Pending
The
Every Child Deserves a Family (ECDF) Act
was considered by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform during a February hearing. The legislation would
prohibit federally-funded child welfare service providers from discriminating against children, families, and individuals because of their religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status. It also ensures that children and youth in foster care receive the identity-affirming, culturally competent care they deserve. Call your representative and ask them to support ECDF (HR 3114)!
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NACC PARTNER NEWS & EVENTS
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2020 Census: Make Sure Your Clients are Counted
Children have historically been missed in the census, especially those in complex living arrangements like foster care.
Research found that a high proportion of young children living with foster families were missed in the 2010 Census.
Undercounting impacts support for critical programs such as children’s health insurance, hospitals, child care, food assistance, schools, and early childhood development.
The Count All Kids campaign has
released this new toolkit
with resources for advocates to make sure all young people in your community are counted in the census. This includes a factsheet that foster care agencies can send to foster parents about including their foster kids, and a template cover letter advocates can use to send to state CW agencies or foster care agencies.
You can also learn more at
www.2020CENSUS.GOV
.
2020 CIP Talks
The
Capacity Building Center for Courts
is producing a new series of engaging and inspiring talks by nationally recognized child welfare experts. A new CIP Talk will premiere the first Monday of each month in 2020 followed by a virtual Q&A with the speaker.
All talks are posted here.
NACC to present at National Conference on Juvenile Justice
NACC's Executive Director Kim Dvorchak will present with Naomi Smoot, Executive Director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice on A Dual System Strategy for Dual-Status Youth: Leveraging the Family First Prevention Services Act and the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act for Youth and Families at the
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges'
National Conference on Juvenile Justice. Click
here
for more information about this conference to be held in Pittsburgh this month.
Want to share your event with NACC? Email Comms@NACCchildlaw.org.
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Boston College conducting research study about the conceptualization of the phrase “Reasonable Medical Certainty” in child abuse or neglect court proceedings.
This survey is intended for judges and practicing attorneys who have participated in a child abuse or neglect court proceeding during the course of their career. Given that the outcome of child abuse and neglect cases can be life altering for children, the goal is to better understand how legal professionals conceptualize the phrase in practice.
Participation is strictly voluntary, and participants may withdraw from the project at any time, for any reason. The identity of all participants will remain anonymous and confidentiality will be strictly enforced at all times. This project has IRB approval.
If you wish to participate in this 20-minute survey, please click
here
. Deadline: April 1.
Upon following the included link, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the survey and its facilitators before deciding to proceed. You may pause the survey and return to complete it at a later time.
Please respond to this email or contact my supervisor, Dr. Raquel Muñiz, J.D., Ph.D. at
munizcas@bc.edu
with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.
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- Research on Youth Perceptions of High-Quality Legal Representation--CLE credit available!
- Family First Prevention Services Act--CLE credit available!
- Child Welfare Year in Review --CLE credit available!
- And More!
- Youth Voices
- Resource Spotlight
- Law Office Corner
- Research Highlights
NACC’s newly updated organizational membership program is designed to bolster the national NACC community by engaging child welfare offices and agencies from small teams to large agencies.
An organizational membership provides Bronze-level membership benefits and discounts to your entire office, law firm, or agency, including discounted rates for NACC's 2020 Conference!
Join the conversation on social media!
#ChildRep2020
#NACC2020
#ChildWelfareLawSpecialist
#PromotingExcellence #BuildingCommunity #AdvancingJustice
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National Association of Counsel for Children | www.NACCchildlaw.org
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