By Kelli Kennedy | The Miami Herald — For decades, it was common for officials around the country to approve foster parents by room and board criteria: Did they pass a background check? Is their home clean? Are their dogs safe and vaccinated? Now several states including Florida, California and Wisconsin are trying to find ones who they […]
YLC at Beyond the Bench
Youth Law Center attorneys Alice Bussiere, Jennifer Rodriguez and Sue Burrell spoke at the statewide Beyond the Bench Conference held December 14-16, 2011 in San Francisco, sponsored by the Judicial Council of California, Administrative Office of the Courts, Center for Families, Children and the Courts. This year’s conference was the 21st Beyond the Bench, and […]
Youth Law Center Honors Unsung Heroes
San Francisco, California — The Youth Law Center announced today that it will give its highest honor to four leading individuals from around the country for their extraordinary contributions to improve the lives of children and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. The Youth Law Center will award a prestigious “Loren Warboys […]
Zeanah Shauffer Dozier Article Just Published
The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has just published an article entitled, Foster Care for Young Children: Why It Must Be Developmentally Informed, in their December issue. It was written by Youth Law Center’s Executive Director, Carole Shauffer, Dr. Charles H. Zeanah with the Institute of Infant and Early Childhood […]
Loren Warboys Unsung Heroes 2011
Each year, the Youth Law Center presents the Loren Warboys Unsung Hero award to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to improve the lives of at-risk youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. This year’s awardees are: Cassandra Gonzalez Cassandra Gonzalez is the mother of two beautiful little girls and a community activist/youth […]
YLC Board Member Interviewed on CNN
On November 11, 2011, Fatima Goss Graves, Vice President for Education and Employment at the National Women’s Law Center and YLC Board member, was interviewed on CNN about sexual harassment of students in light of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) newly released report on sexual harassment in schools, titled “Crossing the Line.” Ms. […]
Orange County JDAI Training
Youth Law Center attorneys Sue Burrell, Deborah Escobedo and Maria Ramiu conducted a facility assessment training for the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) on November 3rd and 4th. The Orange County, California JDAI site hosted the two-day training on how to conduct a juvenile detention facility assessment using the JDAI conditions of confinement standards and […]
YLC – One of the Top Nonprofits Working with At-Risk Youth
The Huffington Post published an article today called “Who’s rescuing foster kids, runaways, and high school dropouts?” and the Youth Law Center is listed because it has been identified as one of the top nonprofits working with at-risk youth in the U.S. You can check out the slideshow here: Slideshow .
Sue Burrell Presents at NJDC Leadership Summit
On October 21, 2011, Youth Law Center Staff Attorney Sue Burrell co-presented “An Underutilized Tool for Change: Making Public Record & FOIA Requests,” at the National Juvenile Defender Center Leadership Summit in Seattle, Washington. With Brad Peterson from North Dakota, and Julie Valencia from Washington, Sue spoke about the mechanics and strategies involved in seeking […]
Recent Legislation Supported by YLC
Governor Brown signed a number of bills this month that we supported and will help children and youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Here’s a list of the bills, now law: AB 9 – Bullying AB 212 – AB 12 cleanup AB 735 – Priority in state internships for former dependent foster […]
Marin Says ‘Yes’ to Panic Button, ‘No’ to Closing Court
By Trey Bundy | The Bay Citizen — After two years of contentious debate over how to improve security at Marin County’s juvenile court, attorneys, judges, law enforcement officers, and court officials finally came to an agreement this week. The court will add more surveillance cameras, a magnetic screener, and a panic button — the standard equipment found […]
TRO Granted in S.H. v. Reed
The court in S.H. v. Reed, issued a temporary restraining order on Octover 12, 2011, against the state prohibiting the Ohio Department of Youth Services from deploying in juvenile facilities special tactics units from the adult department of corrections that use pepper spray and other uses of force prohibited in the settlement in S.H. The […]
YLC and Bay Area Legal Aid Participate in Medi-Cal Training
YLC joined Bay Area Legal Aid attorney Brian Blalock to provide training on Medi-Cal issues for health care staff at the Alameda Juvenile Hall on October 7, 2011.
YLC One of Sponsors for Juvenile Defenders Training
Youth Law Center staff worked with long time YLC Board member and former Executive Director, Mike Dale to present a 3-day National Institute for Trial Advocacy training for juvenile delinquency attorneys at Loyola Law School, September 16-18, 2011. The event, co-sponsored by Loyola Law School, the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center, the California Juvenile Indigent Defense […]
YLC Presented Webinar for Probation
On August 30, 2011, Jennifer Rodriguez and Maria Ramiu presented a webinar on “Probation Provisions in California’s Fostering Connections to Success Act.” Probation staff from more than twenty counties attended the webinar and most were interested in future webinars after AB 12 and AB 212 are enacted. Download powerpoint presentation that was used for the […]
YLC Identified as High Impact Nonprofit Working with Kids
The Youth Law Center was recently identified as 1 of 9 high-impact nonprofits working with at-risk youth by 88 experts. As a result, Philanthropedia is highlighting the Youth Law Center on its website as well as on GuideStar Take Action’s website. Philanthropedia is an online resource for donors who want to make a bigger difference […]
Alice Bussiere’s Article on Adoption Assistance
“Adoption Assistance: An Introduction” by Alice Bussiere has been published in the July-August 2011 issue of Clearinghouse Review. Adoption assistance programs provide crucial support for families adopting children with special needs. However, such federal and state programs can be difficult for both parents and their advocates to navigate. Adoption advocates need to familiarize themselves with […]
Congregate Care Substantially Reduced in Connecticut
Since 2009, the Youth Law Center has been working with Connecticut advocates to reduce group care, particularly for young children under the age of six, using research about the negative effects that group care can have on young children to advocate for change. The Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) issued a report on […]
Funding for At-Risk Youth Lacks Oversight, Advocates Say
By Kendall Taggart | California Watch — More than a dozen civil rights and education organizations are contending that the California Department of Education unlawfully stopped monitoring millions of dollars in funding for low-income and minority students. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center, along with other advocates, filed a friend of the court brief Friday claiming the Department […]
Baby Elmo Article to Be Published
The article, The Baby Elmo Program: Improving Teen Father–Child Interactions within Juvenile Justice Facilities, written by Rachel Barr, Natalie Brito, Jaclyn Zocca, Samantha Reina, Jennifer Rodriguez and Carole Shauffer will be published in the September issue of Children and Youth Services Review. Here is an abstract of the article: The aim of the Baby Elmo […]
Marin Plans to Put Juvenile Suspects in a Glass Cage
By Trey Bundy | The Bay Citizen — Defense attorneys are furious about a plan to require juvenile criminal suspects in Marin County to sit inside “glass cages” during court proceedings. The lawyers say the proposal is unnecessary and unconstitutional. The plan would include building a rectangular box — equipped with speakers and a microphone — inside the […]
Foster Children Routinely Housed in Office Waiting Room
By Garrett Therolf | Los Angeles Times — Supervising Social Worker Lincoln Saul says Department of Children and Family Services officials have grown defensive about their inability to cope with the problem and take steps to hide it. The agency’s acting deputy director denies Saul’s allegations. A Los Angeles County social worker has accused his managers of routinely […]
YLC Joined Other Advocates in Health Care Reform Report
In an effort to ensure that children receive the health care they need, the Youth Law Center joined the Western Center on Law and Poverty and other advocates to develop Creating California’s “No Wrong Door” for Health Coverage: Recommendations from Consumer Advocates, a paper that offers recommendations for fulfilling the promise of health care reform […]
Legal Tactic Raises Issues for Juveniles
By Trey Bundy | New York Times — By Trey Bundy In April 2010, three boys, ages 12, 12 and 13, were accused of raping a 12-year-old female classmate in the gymnasium of their San Francisco middle school. Last month, the allegations against two of the boys were found to be true by a juvenile court judge, and […]
Foster Connections Article Update
The Clearinghouse Review has published an update on The Fostering Connections Act written by YLC staff attorneys Jennifer Rodriguez and Alice Bussiere with Jennifer Pokempner, a supervising attorney at the Juvenile Law Center. The News and Notes item, available at 44 Clearinghouse Review 582-584 (March-April 2011), discusses policy guidance on the extension of foster care […]
Sue Burrell – 2011 Livingston Hall JJ Award Recipient
The American Bar Association has named Sue Burrell as the 2011 recipient of the Livingston Hall Juvenile Justice Award for her longstanding advocacy on behalf of youth in California and across the country. The Livingston Hall Juvenile Justice Award was established in 1985 by the ABA Juvenile Justice Committee to recognize lawyers practicing in the […]
Texas Teachers May Get to See Kids’ Crime Records
By Danny Robbins, Associated Press | San Francisco Chronicle — Dallas — Texas is close to enacting a law that would provide teachers with detailed information about the criminal histories of their students, opening juvenile files that have been confidential in most states. The legislation, spurred by the fatal stabbing of a high school teacher in Tyler in […]
Courts Seek Ruling on Long Prison Sentences for Juveniles
By Kate Moser | The Recorder — After it was all said and done, Richard Power’s legal work might have bought his young client 14 years of life. Power’s client, who was 14 when he committed his crimes and 18 when he was sentenced, will spend most of his years behind bars, but thanks to a Second District […]
Sue Burrell – On Juvenile Justice Reform Panel
The Children’s Law Center, Inc. is pleased to offer an audio webcast on: Trends and Challenges in Juvenile Justice Reform: Experiences of Three States MODERATOR: Dana Shoenberg, Deputy Director, Center for Children’s Law and Policy PANEL: Abby Anderson, Executive Director, Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance Sue Burrell, Staff Attorney, Youth Law Center Ana Yáñez-Correa, PhD, Executive […]
Corene Kendrick – Guest Teacher at San Quentin State Prison
Staff Attorney Corene Kendrick was a guest teacher on April 3, 2011 for a class at San Quentin State Prison, through the Prison University Project. She spoke about the push-out of children from schools to the juvenile justice system to a “Mass Incarceration in the United States” class comprised of a mix of prisoners and […]
Caseworkers Dispirited Over Charges in Girl’s Death
By Cara Buckley and Mosi Secret | The New York Times — The faces looked commanding, soulful and, above all, streetwise, as they began staring out at New Yorkers three years ago from posters blanketing subway cars. The intent was to recruit top-flight talent to the city’s beleaguered Administration of Children’s Services after the death of 7-year-old Nixzmary […]
Corene Kendrick – 2011 Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow
Staff Attorney Corene Kendrick will visit Harvard Law School March 30-31, 2011, as a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow. This program brings public interest attorneys to Harvard to counsel law students about public service. Each Wasserstein Fellow spends one to two days on campus meeting individually with law students to advise them about public interest career […]
Unclear Oversight Yields Repeated Violations at Youth Home
Unclear Oversight Yields Repeated Violations at Home for Troubled Youth By Trey Bundy | The New York Times — In Alameda County, there is just one emergency group-home shelter for emotionally disturbed teenagers. It is called Refuge, for Resource Environment for Underprivileged Groups Enterprise Inc., but according to state documents and former employees, it is anything but a […]
Foster Care Benefits Listserv for Advocates and Attorneys
YLC has launched a foster care benefits listserv in collaboration with the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Bay Area Legal Aid, and the Benchmark Institute. The focus of the Listserv is benefits for children involved in the child welfare or juvenile justice system, including not only cash benefits like AFDC-FC (foster Care benefits), Adoption Assistance Payments […]
Juveniles In Custody Taught Parenting Skills
By Isaac Gonzalez | The Sacramento Press — The Sacramento County Probation Department recently passed the one-year anniversary of its participation in “Baby Elmo” classes for its juvenile residents. The program, designed in part by Georgetown University, teaches parenting skills to incarcerated juveniles with children. Naomi McCormack, who works with residents at the Youth Detention Facility, praised the […]
YLC, BALA and ACR Provide Alphabet Soup Training
YLC provided training on benefits for children in foster care to foster and adoptive parents and attorneys who represent children in juvenile court. The training, known as Alphabet Soup, conducted with Bay Area Legal Aid and the Alliance for Children’s Rights, was provided at the Family Resource Network in Oakland on February 9 and at […]
Nebraska Legislation Based on Report Co-Authored by YLC
Nebraska Sen. Mark Christensen introduced a bill in the state legislature on January 19, 2011, that would require its Judiciary Committee to develop requirements for attorneys for children in dependency court, and to consider the recommendations made in a report co-authored by the Youth Law Center. The report and study, Evaluation of the Guardian ad […]
Article About Rhode Island’s Children Shelters
Carole Shauffer is quoted in an article about Rhode Island’s children shelters. Here is the quote: “The length of the stay worries Carole B. Shauffer, executive director of the Youth Law Center, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, which has sued California for overusing shelters for children age 6 and under. No matter how well […]
Corene Kendrick on School to Prison Pipeline Panel
Staff Attorney Corene Kendrick and Roger Chan, Executive Director of the East Bay Children’s Law Office, spoke in a panel presentation at Stanford University on January 18, 2011. The topic of the discussion was the school-to-prison pipeline, and how zero tolerance policies and the presence of law enforcement in schools lead to more youth ending […]
R.I. Children’s Shelters Get Short Reprieve from Budget Ax
By Lynn Arditi, Journal Staff Writer | The Providence Journal — He arrived at the Washington Park Children’s Shelter shortly before midnight, coughing and wheezy, his buttocks raw from diaper rash. Nearly 14 months old, he hadn’t yet learned to walk and moved on his hands and feet like a spider. For his first meal at the children’s […]