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NACC Releases Policy Statement Regarding Family Separation at the Southern U.S. Border
The National Association of Counsel for Children issued a statement today regarding the ongoing, traumatic, and unnecessary separation of children and families at the border based on purported criminal activity and HIV status. This practice breaches fundamental legal principles and undermines the current direction of family-centered child welfare policy. NACC calls for the proper care and treatment of children and youth in the least restrictive setting.
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NACC Members-Only Webinar
Family Separation at the Border: Updates from the Front Lines and How You Help
Wednesday, August 14
3:00pm - 4:00pm EST
Presenter: Vanessa Pineda, JD
Managing Attorney
Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights
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NACC Announces 2019 Promoting Excellence Awards!
Outstanding Children's Law Office:
Children's Attorneys Project (CAP) of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
Distinguished Achievement Award:
David P. Kelly, JD, MA, US Children's Bureau, Washington, DC
NACC looks forward to honoring our award recipients at the Annual Luncheon at NACC's Conference.
Click here
to learn more about this year's awards and recipients.
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Call for Nominations/Applications to Serve on 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 NACC's strategic plan and organizational growth, and applicants who meet particular characteristics. Prospective applicants are encouraged to meet the current board at NACC's annual conference.
Applications accepted through October 5, 2019.
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Thank you, Brooke Silverthorn and Congratulations on new Faculty Position!
NACC expresses its deepest gratitude to Brooke Silverthorn for her substantial contributions to our team! Under Brooke's leadership, NACC piloted and launched our new Red Book Training Course, established an updated Policy Agenda, activated NACC's amicus program, and developed customized trainings. Brooke has moved on and can now be reached at Georgia State University Law School in
her new role
teaching in the Master of Jurisprudence program. She will also continue her great work with NACC as a Red Book trainer!
Best wishes Brooke!
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ImproveChildRep.org has a new home at NACC!
NACC is thrilled to house the website developed by the National Quality Improvement Center on Children's Representation--
www.ImproveChildRep.org
.
This site, now linked through NACC's homepage, includes a wealth of resources on the
QIC-ChildRep
initiative, including a national needs assessment, QIC Practice Model and Six Core Skills, Multi-disciplinary study, as well as a summary and links to all
State Laws
governing child representation and all the
Academic Articles
and
Evaluations of Child Representation
up to 2016. NACC looks forward to updating this site over time and working to implement the policy recommendations of this initiative.
Thank you to Don Duquette
for your leadership of this work and assistance with this transition!
Favorable ICPC Decision Citing NACC & Lawyers for Children Amicus Brief
A New York State Appellate Court issued a crucial decision on July 16
th
, finding that the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, or ICPC, does not apply when an out-of-state, non-respondent parent seeks custody. The ruling represents a major win against unnecessary foster care placement for children who have a ready and willing parent to offer them a safe and nurturing home. In its decision, the Appellate Division First Department cited an amicus brief submitted by Lawyers For Children and the National Association Counsel of Counsel for Children
.
Click here for more information
and links to the decision, brief, and media coverage.
Thank you to Josh Gupta-Kagan for your work on this brief!
Updated Family Justice Initiative Website
The Family Justice Initiative (FJI), of which NACC is a participating organization, recently updated its website and resources to advance high-quality legal representation for children and parents. The site includes: Child Welfare Policy Manual updates, FJI attributes of high-quality legal representation, FJI demonstration sites, summary of existing research, and current news.
Click here
to access the site and to sign-up for updates.
Children's Bureau Issues Memorandum on Youth & Parent Voice
The U.S. Children's Bureau issued an Informational Memorandum to child welfare agencies on engaging, empowering, and utilizing family and youth voice in all aspects of child welfare to drive case planning and system improvement. demonstrate that family and youth voice are critical to a well-functioning child welfare system and to strongly encourage all public child welfare agencies, dependency courts, and Court Improvement Programs to work together to ensure that family and youth voice are central in child welfare program planning and improvement efforts.
Click here
for more info and the memo.
Housing Vouchers for Youth Emancipating from Foster Care
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced an important initiative to expand the availability of housing vouchers for youth aging out of foster care. Under the new system, youth eligible under the Family Unification Program (FUP) will have access to Tenant Protection Vouchers (rather than the prior system, which was subject to availability and other jurisdictional restrictions). The program is intended to “prevent or end homelessness among young adults under the age of 25 who are, or have recently left, the foster care system without a home to go to.” Find out more
here
and
here
.
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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. NACC thanks the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges for its support and recommendation of CWLS!
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The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) endorses NACC's Child Welfare Law Specialist Certification.
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Congratulations to our Newest Child Welfare Law Specialist!
Kathleen Davis, JD, CWLS
KJD Legal
Tybee Island, GA
Join Us at the CWLS Reception in Anaheim!
All certified CWLS and CWLS applicants are invited to join us for an evening reception on Sunday, August 25th from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Come celebrate your achievement, enjoy the special recognition you deserve, and get to know one another before the conference ramps up.
Interested in Becoming a CWLS?
NACC members benefit from 2019 CWLS Application Pricing
NACC Members - $375, Non-Members - $500
The application fee includes the exam and a copy of
Child Welfare Law and Practice, 3rd Edition.
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Registration is now open for NACC's fall online
Red Book Training Course starting September 18
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NACC’s new 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. Participants can join the course live or watch/listen to recordings for a six month period.
Registration is open for NACC's next course
September 18, 2019 through December 4, 2019.
Take advantage of 2019 pricing! $125 for NACC Members/Groups ($200 nonmembers)
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NACC's 42nd National Child Welfare Law Conference #NACC2019
August 26-August 28, 2019
Anaheim, California
Overflow Hotels--
EARLY RATES EXPIRE AUGUST 9!
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Program Highlights & Group Registration
Check out this year's program featuring an incredible array of expert faculty from across the country.
Registration $400 CWLS; $500 Members; $600 Nonmembers (includes NACC Membership).
Closing Plenary Faculty Announced:
When Opportunity Knocks: Leveraging Title IV-E Funding to Advance Legal Representation for Children and Families
David Kelly, JD, Children's Bureau, Washington, DC
Kim Dvorchak, JD, NACC, Washington, DC
Vivek Sankaran, JD, CWLS, Univ. of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, MI
Jill Malat, JD, CWLS, Children's Representation Program, Seattle, WA
Dan Wilde, JD, Guardian ad Litem Program, Cheyenne, WY
Law Office Track
NACC is offering an entire track of law office related breakouts in our main conference program:
· Developing and Sustaining Effective Legal Advocacy Through Training and Supports
· Using Reflective Case Consultation to Battle Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress
· Developing Training for Adult Learners
· Developing a Progressive Practice Model for Child Representation
· Interdisciplinary Representation
Children's Law Office Convening, Sunday August 25
NACC has expanded capacity and registration has now re-opened for this pre-conference event Sunday, afternoon for children's law office directors and senior managers.
Click here for agenda and registration
.
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Red Book Training Sunday, August 25th
Need additional CLE, a child welfare law refresher, or Certification preparation?
Register for the
Red Book Training here
.
Don't miss this unique opportunity for a full-day live
Red Book Trainin
g
with Betsy Fordyce, JD, CWLS, of the Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center.
Live/Online Combo!
All Red Book Training attendees will have the opportunity to deepen and refresh their knowledge by also taking the
Online Red Book Training Course (
and have access to its recordings for a six-month period)
this fall fo
r an additional $25.
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Film Screening:
FOSTER. M
eet
Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Deborah Oppenheimer and panelists from the film
:
Leslie Starr Heimov,
JD, CWLS, Executive Director, Children’s Law Center of California
Jessica Chandler,
MSW, Children’s Social Worker, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services
Lanny Wilson
, CARE Case Manager, Children’s Law Center of California
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SUPPORT NACC THIS SUMMER!
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2019 is shaping up to be a landmark year of progress in child welfare reform and legal advocacy. NACC's strategic plan sets the course to maximize this opportunity and accelerate justice for children and families.
Your investment in this work is critical to help keep up the momentum and achieve lasting results!
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How you can help:
Thank you for your support!
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- Children's Right to Counsel and the 4th Edition Right to Counsel Report Court
- Family First Prevention Services Act
- Title IV-E Expansion for Legal Representation
- Active Efforts under the Indian Child Welfare Act
- Child Poverty and Child Welfare
- Child Welfare and the Role of Housing
- Youth Voice: I Wish My Lawyer Knew... by Shear Avory
- ED Message: New Platforms to Advance Justice for Children and Families
- New Research: NYC Family Representation Study: Q&A with the Researchers
- Resource Spotlight: Rigged
- Article: Children's Claims for Damages Abuse in Foster Care
- Reader Panel: Challenging Buzzwords
- Practice Tips: Youth Thrive Tip Sheet for Family Court Partners
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National Association of Counsel for Children | www.NACCchildlaw.org
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