Youth Law Center ‘s Recent Accomplishments
2011
The Huffington Post published an article on October 25, 2011, 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.
Governor Brown signed a number of bills in October 2011 that we supported and will help children and youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, including AB 212, a cleanup bill to AB 12 that extends foster care to youths up to age 19, 20, and 21,if specified conditions are met, commencing January 1, 2012.
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 with their charitable giving.
Adoption Assistance: An Introduction by YLC Staff Attorney Alice Bussiere has been published in the July-August 2011 issue of Clearinghouse Review.
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 was published in the September issue of Children and Youth Services Review. The Baby Elmo Project is currently in five Calfornia counties: Sacramento, Fresno, Orange, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara Counties.
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 in California.
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 benefits for youth past the age of 18 that was issued in July 2010 by the federal Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF.)
The American Bar Association 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.
2010
Sue Burrell was invited by the Daily Journal to write an end of the year piece on juvenile justice and it was published on December 21, 2010.
YLC Staff Attorney Sue Burrell received the 2010 “Juvenile Defender of the Year” award at the seventh annual Pacific Juvenile Defender Center Roundtable held on November 6, 2010, at Sacramento State University for her incredible career of advocacy at both YLC and the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office for vulnerable youth in California and across the country.
YLC filed Kleppe v. Superior Court of Marin County and Marin County on March 10, 2010, in the California First District Court of Appeal charging Marin County and Marin Superior Court officials with violating state law and the Constitutional rights of youth detained in Marin County Juvenile Hall by preventing the children from being physically present for delinquency court hearings. While the Youth Law Center was not successful with this lawsuit, it was one of the factors that stopped this from happening.
The Daily Journal (California's daily legal newspaper) published a two-part article written by YLC Staff Attorney Sue Burrell. Part One of the article is about the need for juvenile defender training and Part Two goes into detail about how the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center through the MacArthur Foundation's Juvenile Indigent Defense Action Network (JIDAN) is working to improve juvenile representation.
Evaluation of the Guardian Ad Litem System in Nebraska, a report assessing Nebraska's system of child representation was released on January 9, 2010. The report was conducted by the National Association of Counsel for Children, Suffolk University law professor Erik Pitchal, child welfare expert Madelyn Freundlich, and Youth Law Center Staff Attorney Corene Kendrick.
2009
Corene Kendrick received the 2009 Miles Rubin Public Interest Award from Stanford Law School and was honored at the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law Annual Public Service Awards Dinner on Monday, November 2, 2009, along with Debo Adegbile, Director of Litigation, NAACP LDF.
Marquez v. California Department of Health Care Services was filed on September 25, 2009 in San Francisco Superior Court, and seeks changes in Medi-Cal policy to ensure that children are able to get the critical health care services they need. The petitioners are represented by Bay Area Legal Aid, Lucy Quacinella, Esq., Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty, in addition to the Youth Law Center.
YLC staff attorneys Jennifer Rodriguez and Alice Bussiere co-authored an article with Juvenile Law Center Attorney Jennifer Pokempner, entitled “Fostering Connections to Success: Extending a Social Safety Net for Youths Facing Homelessness and Poverty.” The article discusses provisions of a new federal law that affect older youth in foster care. The article appeared in the July-August, 2009 issue of Clearinghouse Review Journal of Poverty Law and Policy.
The Youth Law Center and the ACLU of New Mexico have settled ACLU of New Mexico v. New Mexico Children,Youth and Families Department. This settlement stems from a lawsuit that the Youth Law Center and the ACLU filed in 2007 to enforce the terms of a 2006 contract that resulted in the closure of Springer Boy's School and set forth promises to improve security, behavioral health screening and treatment, and quality assurance systems.
Damon King, YKC Skadden Fellow, began work here on September 14th. His project is to enforce the rights of children in California's group homes through direct representation, legal support to court-appointed attorneys, and collaboration with state agencies to resolve facility licensing violations.
On June, 11, 2009, the Youth Law Center and the California Rural Legal Assistance filed Alejo v. O'Connell, challenging the cancellation of monitoring reviews of Homeless, Neglected or Delinquent, Migrant and English Learner programs by Superintendent O’Connell.
YLC co-sponsored AB 12, which will extend foster care benefits to youth after the age of 18 and allow California to participate in the federal Kinship Guardianship Assistance program.
2008
Juveniles charged with a violation will now be represented in parole hearings as a result of the June 4, 2008, settlement in L.H. v. Schwarzenegger. The suit was brought by two San Francisco law firms, Rosen, Bien & Galvan, LLP and Bingham McCutchen, and the Youth Law Center.
The April settlement in S.H. v. Stickrath is a comprehensive commitment by Ohio to move the state's juvenile correctional model away from large institutions to a regional small facility delivery system.
Four counties, Yolo, Orange, Fresno and San Bernardino, are implementing our juvenile justice parenting program, that teaches incarcerated youth parenting skills during weekly visits and use of media.
Three sites have partnered with the Youth Law Center to work toward meeting the developmental needs of foster children under six.
Judge in L.H. v. Schwarzenegger ordered defendants to appoint counsel to represent each and every juvenile parolee in parole revocation hearings by February 15, 2008.
2007
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Oregon's Petition for Certioraro in A.S.W. v. Oregon. The case is now back in the district court to resolve the case.
ACLU of New Mexico v. NM Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) filed because of CYFD's failure to ensure safe living conditions and essential rehabilitation services for young people in state juvenile justice facilities.
Leonard v. Wagner filed to allow all foster youth in the state of California, including those with special needs, in school to remain in foster care up until the age of 19.
Sue Burrell, YLC Staff Attorney, received the San Francisco Public Defender's Office Honor in May, 2007.
