Juvenile Law Center Staff Share Expertise at Annual National Association of Counsel for Children Conference
Providing high quality training and technical assistance is key to advancing Juvenile Law Center’s mission. From August 12-14, thought leaders in child welfare, juvenile justice, and family law will gather in Philadelphia for the National Association of Counsel for Children’s (NACC) Annual Child Welfare, Juvenile, and Family Law Conference. This conference provides an opportunity for policymakers, advocates, attorneys, and judges to engage in cutting edge training on current issues affecting youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Juvenile Law Center, along with our colleagues at the Support Center for Child Advocates and KidsVoice, is a cooperating organization working to coordinate this premier national training event.
Several of our attorneys will lead workshops and plenary sessions during the conference, helping to educate the national community of multidisciplinary advocates working to make the juvenile justice and child welfare systems really work for children. For more information on the conference and to see the full agenda, click here.
Juvenile Law Center’s sessions include:
Friday, August 12:
- The Lawyer’s Role in Finding Older Youth Permanency and Reducing Congregate Care - This session will provide attorneys advocacy strategies for reducing the use of group care and improving permanency outcomes for older youth. Presenters will share legal strategies offered by new laws, such as the Strengthening Families Act, as well as existing laws that can facilitate community placements and high quality services for youth with disabilities. We will also explore models for enhancing the capacity of foster parents and relatives to care for older youth and youth with complex needs. Presenters: Jennifer Pokempner, JD; Karen Lindell, JD; Mary Bissell, JD; Rob Geen, MPP; Mimi Laver, JD; Jennifer Rodriguez, JD
- Marking Federal Policy Real for Older Youth: Implementing the Normalcy and APPLA Provisions of the Strengthening Families Act - The normalcy and permanency provisions in the Strengthening Families Act (SFA) have the potential to improve the lives of older youth. In most states, implementation efforts have been driven by the urgency of implementation deadlines rather than strategic and collaborative advocacy efforts. In this session we will provide updates on key provisions of the SFA that impact older youth, showcase model policies that maximize the effectiveness of implementation, and spotlight the work being done across states to effectively implement the SFA. Presenters: Riya Saha Shah, JD; Stephanie Gendell, JD; Sarah Helvey, JD; MS, Lucy Johnston-Walsh, MSW
Saturday, August 13
- Older Youth Litigation Strategies Brainstorming Session – Juvenile Law Center will facilitate a discussion about possible legal claims to address poor outcomes of youth aging out; using the Americans with Disabilities Act to attack the over-use of congregate care and the provision of inadequate services for older youth with disabilities; and the viability of constitutional and federal child welfare law claims to attack areas such as poor transition plans and inappropriate placements.
- Annual Luncheon: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Kent v. United States: How the U.S. Supreme Court has Driven Justice Policy for Children and What to Expect Next - As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kent v. United States, and the 5th anniversary of JDB v. North Carolina, it is important to take a look back and a look forward at the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in shaping justice policy for children. Kent established constitutional principles for the transfer of children to criminal court; JDB established a new set of constitutional principles for the policy interrogation of juveniles in light of Miranda. Not quite bookends, these cases illustrate how youth status is relevant to the application of various constitutional provisions to children. Presenters: Marsha Levick, JD; Martin Guggenheim, JD; Wallace Mlyniec, JD
- Eliminating the Consequences of a Juvenile Record - This workshop will provide practitioners information about the process for expungement and deregistration, and how they can assist clients directly with eliminating the consequences of a juvenile adjudication. It will also provide policymakers key tools to make expungement and deregistration more widely available and more effective. Presenters: Riya Saha Shah, JD; Dafna Gozani, JD; Elise Logemann, JD
- Too High a Human Toll: Ending Solitary Confinement for Youth - There is significant momentum nationally to end solitary confinement for youth. This interactive workshop will provide information about the prevalence of youth solitary confinement, the varied legal landscape on solitary confinement, and recent changes in law and policy relating to solitary confinement. Participants will explore advocacy opportunities, including direct representation, impact litigation, and policy advocacy to end juvenile solitary confinement. Presenters: Jessica Feierman, JD, LLM; Marsha Levick, JD; Julia Davis, JD; Ira Lustbader, JD; Jenny Lutz, JD
- Implementing and Making Extended Foster Care Systems Work - In this workshop, we will explore the key components of an extended foster care system that engages and effectively supports older youth. We will do this by sharing the experiences of California, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania, three states that are at different stages of implementation of their extended care laws. We will provide advocacy tips for states still working to pass extended foster care laws and those that seek to improve their current systems to more effectively serve young adults. Presenters: Jennifer Pokempner, JD; Brian Blalock, JD; Sarah Helvey, JD; Jennifer Rodriguez, JD; Angie Schwartz
- Improving Transition to Adulthood Outcomes Through Legal Advocacy: Leveraging Old and New Laws - This session will focus on the newest legal requirements of service provision and transition planning for older youth. Panelists will discuss legal strategies advocates and judicial leaders can use to promote early planning and service delivery for individual clients as well as broader advocacy tactics to affect policy development and standards in the child welfare system and court. Presenter: Jennifer Pokempner, JD; Brian Blalock, JD; Leah Cullen, JD; Brent Pattison, JD