NACC urges U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to require legal representation for children in CAPTA reauthorization
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On September 6, 2019, the National Association of Counsel for Children sent a
letter
to the chairs of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), as well as individual committee members, regarding the pending reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). CAPTA currently permits states to provide children an attorney OR a lay advocate in abuse and neglect cases, which wrongly conflates the critical differences between these two complementary, yet distinct roles. NACC advocates for an amendment to require legal representation for all children.
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NACC joins Amicus Brief to enforce the Flores Settlement Agreement
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NACC joined Children's Rights alongside the Center for the Study of Social Policy, the Center for Children & Youth Justice, the Center on Children and Families, the Children's Advocacy Institute, First Star, the Juvenile Law Center, and the Children's Law Center in an amicus brief to enforce the Flores Settlement Agreement, which established the conditions under which children are held in immigration and ensures those children a basic standard of care and protection, opposing practices of indefinite detention and placement in unlicensed facilities allowed by new Final Rules issued by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Flores Settlement Amicus Brief
.
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Upcoming NACC Members-Only Webinar
Tuesday, October 8, 1:00pm-2:30pm ET
What do Foster Youth and Other Stakeholders Want From their Lawyer? Research Findings Chart the Course to High-Quality Legal Representation
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Nationwide, high-quality legal representation for children is in the spotlight. Yet most policy conversations focus on how
professionals
envision the legal advocate’s work. How do foster youth define effective representation? How does current empirical research of their perspectives shape our work? This interactive webinar will synthesize several new studies examining stakeholder perspectives about the quality of legal representation for youth in care.
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NACC's next Red Book Training Course begins September 18
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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 webinars delivered over a period of 13 weeks.
The course runs
September 18, 2019 through December 4, 2019.
All sessions are presented live and recorded for you to listen/view at your leisure for six months.
Take advantage of 2019 pricing! $125 for NACC Members/Groups ($200 for Non-Members). Includes electronic access to the Red Book for six months.
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NACC announces new State Coordinators!
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NACC is thrilled to announce our inaugural cohort of State Coordinators to help lead NACC’s expanded outreach and provide localized support to a growing network of child welfare attorneys across the country.
We look forward to sharing more about their work to Promote Excellence, Build Community, and Advance Justice at the state and local level in partnership with our national office.
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ALASKA: Courtney Lewis, JD, CWLS
CALIFORNIA: Jill McInerney, JD, CWLS
COLORADO: Ashley Chase, JD, CWLS
IOWA: Ellen Ramsey-Kacena, JD, CWLS
LOUISIANA: Rebecca May-Ricks, JD, CWLS
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MISSOURI: Claire Terrebonne, JD, CWLS
MONTANA: Sarah Chase Rosario, JD
OKLAHOMA: Tsinena Thompson, JD
NEW YORK: Melissa Paul-Franklyn, JD
WASHINGTON: Jill Malat, JD, CWLS
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Call for Nominations/Applications to NACC's Board of Directors
The NACC Nominations Committee welcomes applications and nominations for open positions on NACC's
Board of Directors
. NACC is seeking applicants interested in advancing the strategic plan and organizational growth. Preferred applicants include:
- Child Welfare Law Specialists
- Persons with lived experience as a former foster youth or respondent parent
- Corporate Counsel & Law Firm Partners (including Pro Bono Counsel)
- Judges
- Psychologists/Psychiatrists/Social Workers working with children and families
- Child Welfare Law Office Directors/Training Directors
- Persons with financial expertise (budgeting, accounting, investing)
- Persons who bring racial, ethnic, and age diversity
- Academic Researchers
Applications will be accepted through October 5, 2019.
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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.
NACC thanks the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) for its
Endorsement
!
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“What I think would shock most people is the thought of having numerous children of a variety of ages sitting around in an office all day and not actually devising some kind of plan to do something else,” said Lori Burns-Bucklew, a Kansas City attorney and accredited child welfare law specialist, who joined Kansas Appleseed, the National Center for Youth Law, and Children’s Rights in filing the suit. “Like drive them six blocks down the road to a school.”
Interested in becoming a Child Welfare Law Specialist?
NACC members benefit from 2019 Pricing: Members - $375 (Non-Members - $500)
Application fee includes the exam and hard copy of
Child Welfare Law and Practice, 3rd Edition.
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42nd National Child Welfare Law Conference THANK YOU!
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NACC thanks everyone for making our 42nd National Child Welfare Law Conference a great success! From sponsors, to faculty, to attendees, to exhibitors, and more, your participation and contributions helped NACC Promote Excellence, Build Community, and Advance Justice!
Save the date to join us in 2020:
Attend the 43rd National Child Welfare Law Conference August 24-26, 2020 at the Baltimore Waterfront Marriott, with pre-conference sessions August 23. Stay tuned for information on conference abstracts, early registration, hotel block, and more! #NACC2020
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2019 Promoting Excellence Award winners:
Outstanding Children's Law Office:
Children's Attorneys Project (CAP) of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
Award accepted by Barbara Buckley, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, and her team of practitioners from the Children's Attorneys Project
Distinguished Achievement Award:
David P. Kelly, JD, MA, Children's Bureau, Washington, DC
David Kelly accepted this award with moving remarks--calling upon attendees:
"It's time to get on the right side of justice. It's time to get on the right side of history."
Click here
for more information about this year's awardees.
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Thank you to our Gold Conference Sponsors!
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Like what you see? Consider elevating your support with a
Platinum Lifetime Membership
.
Click here
to see our current Platinum Members and consider making a lasting a commitment to NACC's mission and Strategic Plan to Promote Excellence, Build Community, and Advance Justice for children and families.
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National Association of Counsel for Children | www.NACCchildlaw.org
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