May 2020 

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NACC HAPPENINGS Zealous Advocacy Goes Virtual -- At NACC, we are right there with you supporting your work and our mission virtually, because advocacy for children and families can't stop.

NACC continues to answer the community's call for guidance and advocacy support regarding COVID-19 and its impact on clients, cases, processes, and policy. Over the past few weeks, NACC has: Launched a COVID-19 Resource Hub Published this NACC Tip Sheet: Advocacy and Child’s Attorney-Client Relationships During COVID-19 Hosted an NACC Member-Webinar Call on COVID-19, and host regular Children's Law Office Project calls Hosted a COVID-19 Zealous Advocacy webinar – open to all, please share--includes two hours CLE credit! Issued a Joint Policy Statement on Child Welfare Courts During a Public Health Crisis Held our first virtual Board of Director's meeting Testified via Zoom at a Vermont legislative hearing opposing proposal to make all family visits virtual We did a virtual training for Iowa on FFPSA

NACC Featured on the Children's Law Podcast NACC's Training Director Kristen Pisani-Jacques joined True North Child Advocates for a discussion regarding children's legal advocacy through the COVID-19 pandemic and NACC resources for practitioners. Click here to listen !

UPCOMING OPEN WEBINAR

Trauma-Responsive Skills for Lawyers During COVID-19 Wednesday, May 13, 2:00-3:30pm ET

Rebecca M. Stahl, JD, LLM, SEP

Cynthia Bowkley, JD, CPPM, SE Advanced Student

How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting your practice? What impacts are you seeing in yourself and/or your clients? Join presenters Cynthia Bowkley and Rebecca Stahl, attorneys who are trained in somatic experiencing, who will discuss how stress and trauma manifest physically, mentally, and emotionally in attorneys and their clients. The presenters will offer simple, effective, and easy-to-use tools for managing stress and maximizing performance, especially relevant during the current public health crisis. Attorneys will improve their ability to effectively recognize, respond to, and manage their own traumatic stress responses, and learn how to help clients regulate their trauma reactions in high-stress environments, such as the courtroom.   This webinar is part of NACC’s ongoing series of responsive training measures to support attorney practice in the COVID-19 pandemic. The session is open to members AND non-members. 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/on-demand learning requirements.

Register Here!

NACC's Online Red Book Training Course ADDED Summer Session Starts Next Month

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 through December 31. Summer Course: June 3rd, 2020 through July 15, 2020.  Registration now through July 14. This course is pending 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. Approval is pending 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.

View the Syllabus and Register Here

NACC POLICY NEWS

Action Alert: Tell Congress to Support Additional CIP Funding!   NACC is calling for Congress to include $30 million in supplemental funding for child welfare courts in any forthcoming COVID-19 relief legislation. In many places, court-involved children and families have been hard hit by the pandemic, which has backlogged cases and postponed critical judicial oversight. This emergency funding would help mitigate the impact of court shutdowns, technology shortages and reduced staffing. Particular investments are needed to support the transition to virtual court platforms and provide training for judges, attorneys and caseworkers about how to handle these hearings while ensuring due process, accountability for all parties, and informed decision-making. NACC members: please add your voice to the call for support! More information available here NACC Testifies Before Vermont Legislature on Importance of Family Time In April, NACC testified before the Vermont House Committee on Human Services regarding the importance of family time during the pandemic for youth in the child welfare system. Legal Director Allison Green urged the Committee and stakeholders to consider a multidisciplinary, case-by-case approach to evaluating whether in-person family time may still be safe and appropriate for certain families. Read more here . NACC Calls Upon Congress to Support Children and Families in COVID-19 Response  NACC has joined several coalitions calling upon the federal government to target COVID-19 response funding toward the services that prevent child maltreatment and serve youth already in the system. We joined with partners to support an increase to the Social Services Block Grant , urge targeted support for older youth , promote non-discrimination protections and request comprehensive child welfare funding investments. Congress must act on these and other measures to protect the children and families most vulnerable during the pandemic. U.S. Children’s Bureau Clarifies that Title IV-E Funding Applies to Interdisciplinary Legal Representation In late 2018, the U.S. Children’s Bureau announced a revision to the Child Welfare Policy Manual permitting states to receive up to 50% federal Title IV-E funding reimbursement for the costs of providing “independent legal representation by an attorney for a child who is a candidate for title IV-E foster care or in foster care and his/her parent.” The policy was later updated to apply to tribal representation. In April 2020, the agency clarified that this funding may also be used to support the costs of paralegals, investigators, peer partners, social workers, support staff, and overhead for independent child and parent legal representation . This is an important recognition of the efficacy of interdisciplinary advocacy models.  For more information on the Title IV-E funding opportunity, check out NACC’s Title IV-E flyer or NACC's continuously updated Title IV-E for Legal Representation webpage .

Policy Advocacy Request

Amicus Curiae Request

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

Congratulations to Our Newest Child Welfare Law Specialist!

Jennifer Stone, JD, CWLS Schilling, Winn & Stone Laramie, WY

Spring Special - $100 off CWLS application fee through May 31! Make 2020 the year to obtain your  Child Welfare Law Specialist credential ! Submit your CWLS application and fee by May 31 st  and receive $100 off the regular price.  For a limited time, NACC members can apply for CWLS certification for only  $275  which includes a copy of the Red Book and the exam. The nonmember discounted application rate is $400.   Please visit our  Applicant Resources  page to download the application and review eligibility requirements, exam details, and more.   Submit your application payment here . Remember to log into your NACC profile first in order to get the member discount.  If you’re not a member yet, first take advantage of our  current membership discount and then apply. Raise your game and join the CWLS community today! Attention CWLS Applicants! CWLS Exam Update The CWLS exam has been reopened! Thank you for your patience during the shutdown. CWLS applicants can now schedule and sit for the exam. However, available time slots per day are limited as our exam proctoring company gradually gets back up to full capacity. If you have an exam date in mind, we recommend logging into Examity and reserving your slot now.

Visit NACC's CWLS webpage

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS NACC'S PROMOTING EXCELLENCE AWARDS DUE JULY 1, 2020

NACC honors the champions among us who raise the bar and set the standard for excellence in children's legal advocacy.  NACC’s  Promoting Excellence Awards  are presented annually to individuals and institutions making significant contributions to the rights and well-being of children through excellence in legal representation.     NACC is now accepting nominations for awards in the following categories: Outstanding Legal Advocate Outstanding New Lawyer Outstanding Children's Law Office   Click here for award criteria and instructions , and submit your nominations using the form on NACC's website. Deadline to submit nominations: July 1, 2020.

Spring Membership Sale Through May 31! Take advantage of NACC's Spring Membership Special--offering 25% off ALL membership levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Organizational! Installment plans available. Renew your membership early and we'll extend your expiration date by another 12 months! This is an excellent time to upgrade your membership and receive a hard copy of the Red Book! RENEW NOW HERE

NACC MEMBER RESOURCES

Members-Only Webinars:  Click here to view past webinars at your leisure . The Next Level: Appellate Practice in Child Welfare Cases (Part 1 &2)-CLE credit available! How to Use Reasonable Efforts to Advocate for Older Youth-CLE credit available! 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! COVID-19 Webinars:  Zealous Advocacy During COVID-19: Practical Tips and Best Practices Prior issues of The Guardian:   Click here and check all the expanded content . ·      Youth Voices ·      Resource Spotlight ·      Law Office Corner ·      Research Highlights Prior issues of The Advocate:   Catch up on monthly news and events . Want to join the NACC listserv ?   Need help logging in? Email  Membership@NACCchildlaw.org 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