Youth Law Center authors chapter in new NACC book

The National Association of Counsel For Children (NACC) recently released the 4th edition of its Child Welfare Law and Practice: Representing Children, Parents, and Agencies in Neglect, Abuse, and Dependency Cases (“the Red Book”). This textbook is used as a national resource for attorneys and judges and provides the framework for NACC’s child welfare law specialist credential. […]

YLC Authors Article for American Bar Association

One of the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act—allowing young adults to stay on their parent’s health plan until age 26—was mirrored by a provision that expanded Medicaid. YCL’s Policy Director Jenny Pokempner authored an article for the American Bar Association on tips for advocates to help keep more young people covered with Medicaid […]

YLC Releases New Advocacy Guide on Brown Act

YLC has published a new advocacy resource, “Building Community Power in Youth Justice Reform: The Brown Act & Juvenile Justice Realignment in California.” In 2020, CA enacted Senate Bill 823 (SB 823), a landmark law that mandated the closing of the state’s juvenile prisons and established a new public health approach to juvenile justice to […]

YLC Reissues Report “Closing the Extracurriculars Gap”

Three years ago the Youth Law Center first issued the publication “Closing the Extracurriculars Gap: Prioritizing Extracurricular Activities as a Key Intervention for Children and Youth in Foster Care and Juvenile Justice” to make the case for action to ensure that young people in foster care have meaningful access to extracurricular and enrichment activities. YLC […]

New YLC Publication: THP-NMD – An Advocacy Guide to Preventing Involuntary Exits

YLC has created a new resource, THP-NMD: An Advocacy Guide to Preventing Involuntary Exits, developed after young adults reported being exited prematurely from their transitional housing programs, sometimes without notice or proper process. Our new advocacy guide summarizes the legal protections that young adults have–both as former foster youth and as tenants–to remain in THP-NMD […]

New YLC resources on COVID-19 economic aid for youth and families

Youth Law Center has recently developed a series of resources related to the various economic benefits available as a result of the Covid–19 pandemic, and specifically how and when those benefits are accessible to populations including current and formerly systems involved youth and young adults, foster and resource parents, kinship families and young people in detention settings. Check out […]

New advocacy resource to support stability of youth tenants in THP-Plus

Youth Law Center and Bay Area Legal Aid have created a new resource that we hope will be useful to your advocacy. Ensuring Stability and Success for Youth Tenants in THP-Plus was developed to help civil legal advocates initiate capacity-building conversations about transition planning with THP-Plus providers and the county agencies that oversee them. THP-Plus is a transitional program for former foster […]

New webinar on preventing involuntary exits from THP-Plus

Please join us and our co-hosts Bay Area Legal Aid and Public Counsel for the webinar “Advocacy Strategies for Preventing Involuntary Exits from Transitional Housing Program-Plus (THP-Plus)” on December 15th at 1:30pm PST. This interactive webinar will provide an overview of our recent THP-Plus advocacy guide and then discuss practice scenarios with Bay Area Legal Aid’s Henrissa Bassey and […]

Financial Aid Guide for Youth with Juvenile Justice Involvement

As part of our ongoing work to create Pathways to Higher Education for youth with juvenile justice involvement, the Youth Law Center has created a new financial aid resource that we hope will be useful to youth, policy advocates, and a wide range of juvenile justice and child welfare system stakeholders. College is For Everyone: […]

YLC and PJDC Call for Rethinking Juvenile Hall Commitments

As California prepares to shutter its state juvenile facility system, it is critically important for counties to carefully consider how they will serve youth who previously would have been committed to the Division of Juvenile Justice. On November 12, 2020, the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center (PJDC) and Youth Law Center (YLC) released California’s County Juvenile Lockups: […]

New Advocacy Guide: Preventing Involuntary Exits from Transitional Housing Program-Plus (THP-Plus)

Youth Law Center has created a new resource that we hope will be useful to your advocacy. Preventing Involuntary Exits from Transitional Housing Program-Plus (THP-Plus) was developed after young adults reported being exited prematurely from their transitional housing programs, sometimes without notice or proper process. In THP-Plus, a transitional program for former foster youth, a […]

Just Released: Advocacy Tool for Juvenile Justice Transformation

The Youth Law Center is pleased to announce the launch of our new project, Juvenile Justice Transformation: Navigating the Legal Landscape. This project provides maps of key delinquency laws in California to help advance efforts to transform the juvenile justice system. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this information and our work to end incarceration of children even […]

Just Released: A New Deal for Transition Age Foster Youth in California

The Youth Law Center is proud to share a new policy brief, A New Deal for Transition Age Foster Youth in California: A Policy Roadmap for Ensuring a Resilient Recovery after COVID-19. The brief proposes critical short- and long-term policy action steps that build on California’s emergency policy response for transition age youth who are in foster […]

Upcoming QPI Resource Series

QPI’s 8-week series COVID-19: The New Normal came to a close at the end of May but thanks to the positive feedback we received from the over 7,000 participants, we have decided to continue the momentum with QPI: The New Normal, a QPI-based resource series that will include biweekly round-up emails and monthly webcasts. Our first 75-minute […]

Webinar for Six Immediate Steps for THP-Plus Stability

YLC, John Burton Advocates for Youth and Bay Area Legal Aid  provided virtual training to California agencies outlining six steps counties can take to extend THP-Plus housing and services or access alternative housing resources to support youth during the crisis, so they do not exit THP-Plus at risk of homelessness and without a safe place to shelter in place […]

Six Immediate Steps for THP-Plus Stability

**NOTE: This resource has been updated and can now be found here and here. (August 24, 2020)   Youth Law Center, in partnership with John Burton Advocates for Youth and Bay Area Legal Aid, has developed a resource to promote housing stability among youth in California’s Transitional Housing Program-Plus (THP-Plus). THP-Plus programs provide transitional housing […]

QPI’s COVID-19 webcasts posted online

Last month, YLC’s Quality Parenting Initiative launched a new resource series, COVID-19: The New Normal, providing weekly webcasts from child development and legal experts along with emails containing tips, resources, examples of COVID-related policies, and inspiration from the field. Our first 4 webcasts and weekly emails are now posted online. Check them out on QPI’s resource […]

YLC’s Emergency Planning Toolkit for Youth in Congregate Care

Youth Law Center has developed an emergency planning resource to support attorneys and advocates working with youth in congregate care.  As you know more than anyone, youth in congregate care facilities face acute risks in a public health emergency.  Meanwhile, the state licensing agencies that are tasked with monitoring the safety and wellbeing of young […]

QPI Webcast: “The Power of Connection: How Resource Families Can Support Adolescents Through COVID-19 Crisis”

We’re happy to announce the launch of our QPI resource series, COVID-19: The New Normal. Our first webcast is The Power of Connection: How Resource Families Can Support Adolescents Through COVID-19 Crisis. In this 75-minute event, tune in for a conversation between national adolescent development expert Dr. Ken Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, Co-Director of the Center for Parent and Teen […]

Youth Law Center’s COVID-19 Resources

Overnight, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live. For children and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, and their families, these changes are potentially devastating. Children who have already experienced the world as a lonely and dangerous place face more challenges when they are isolated from family and community. Systems under […]

YLC’s advocacy for children during COVID-19

Dear friends, Overnight, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live. For children and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, and their families, these changes are potentially devastating. Children who have already experienced the world as a lonely and dangerous place face more challenges when they are isolated from family and […]

YLC launches QPI resource series “COVID19: The New Normal”

We understand that the daily changes and constantly updated information on the COVID-19 crisis can be overwhelming. However panic cannot and should not drive our work off course. Children, foster parents and birth parents deal with incredibly challenging personal crises every day. They are the pros and know how to deal with challenges one day […]

YLC’s Emergency Planning Tool for Youth and Families

YLC has created an emergency planning resource to support attorneys and advocates working with transition age youth and their families during this crisis. The resource, Making An Emergency Plan with Transition Age Youth in Foster Care: A Checklist for Dependency Attorneys, Youth Providers, and Advocates, can be found online here, and we’ll be making updates […]

5 Tips for Prioritizing Extracurriculars as a Key Intervention for Youth

Extracurricular activities provide meaningful educational, social, and developmental advantages for youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems who face significant barriers to success. They help young people discover new interests, make connections with peers and supportive adults, and develop independence, self-esteem, and resilience. Many thanks to the American Bar Association for featuring this great piece in […]

YLC Publishes Policy Brief on Extracurriculars as Key Intervention

The Youth Law Center is proud to share a policy brief exploring the critical role of extracurricular activities for children and youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. The brief examines the benefits of extracurricular participation, the barriers young people face, and details inspiring programs working to ensure our young people have access […]

Maria Ramiu Presenting at Child Welfare Policy Roundtable

Maria Ramiu, Youth Law Center’s Senior Staff Attorney, will be a featured panelist presenting on Youth Arrests in Group Homes and Shelters at the July 6th monthly Child Welfare Policy Roundtable focused this month on “Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice”. Maria will be joined by Frankie Guzman, Director of California Youth Justice Initiative, Julie McCormick, Policy Associate at Children’s […]

2017 Fact Sheets for Legal Services and Advocates

Youth Law Center recently updated fact sheets for legal services and other advocates. Please click on the following links to view the full online versions of the December 2017 Foster Care Overview Fact Sheet, Juvenile Justice Overview Fact Sheet, Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (kin-GAP) Fact Sheet, and the Relative Caregivers Fact Sheet. Please visit our […]

YLC Releases Report on Failure of CA’s Juvenile Court Schools

This week Youth Law Center released a study, funded by the California Wellness Foundation, on the education system for youth confined to detention facilities within California’s juvenile justice system. In the report, entitled Educational Injustice: Barriers to Achievement and Higher Education for Youth in California Juvenile Court Schools, Youth Law Center examines areas of challenge […]

CECANF Releases Final Report

The Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities (CECANF)  has released its final recommendations for developing a national strategy to reduce fatalities resulting from child abuse and neglect. The report outlines 10 recommendations to help organizations and communities implement a strategic response to protect children at high risk of fatality from abuse or neglect. CECANF  was established […]

Alice Bussiere Participates in Webinar on Families First Act

Staff attorney Alice Bussiere participated in Foster Youth in Action’s first public hot topics webinar: State Policies on Non-Family Foster Care Settings.  The webinar focused on the proposed Families First Act and other policy issues. The proposed act is intended to increase early intervention to reduce foster care entry and also to prevent prolonged stays […]

DHCS Launches Web Page for Medi-Cal for Former Foster Youth

DHCS has launched a web page on Medi-Cal for Former Foster Youth.  This site is a great resource and contains information about receiving Medi-Cal coverage until age 26 regardless of income and instructions on how to apply for the FFY program.    

YLC Releases Survey/Recommendations on Congregate Care

At the Youth Law Center we are continuing our work to ensure that children and youth who must be removed from home are placed in family settings rather than in congregate care facilities.  We have just released a paper entitled “State Policies on Non-Family Foster Care Settings.”  The paper surveys state policies that restrict congregate care […]

Study Reveals Greater Commitment of Foster Parents

Youth Law Center recently joined with nationally renowned researchers on research that demonstrates that foster parents show greater commitment toward youth than group care providers of all types. The study is important because while this commitment is a critical element of healthy development for youth, adolescents are frequently placed in group care rather than with […]

Consensus Statement on Group Care for Children Published

A Consensus Statement on Group Care for Children and Adolescents has been published in the most recent volume of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.   The paper is the result of a two-day meeting held in the summer of 2012 hosted by the Youth Law Center and the Annie E. Casey Foundation on the application […]

Tribal Youth in Transition Training

The Youth Law Center provided training on Tribal Youth in Transition in collaboration with the Yurok Tribe, California Indian Legal Services, and the Alliance for Children’s Rights at the Yurok Tribal Community Center in Klamath California on November 20, 2013.  The training covered AB 12, which extends support for eligible youth after age 18, and focused […]

Medi-Cal for Former Foster Youth Project

The Youth Law Center has launched a project to ensure that former foster youth are able to get comprehensive, affordable health care coverage.   Access to health insurance is critical in supporting a healthy transition to adulthood for thousands of young adults transitioning out of foster care.  Many of these youth have ongoing special health care […]

Jennifer Rodriguez Appointed to Presidential Commission

The Youth Law Center is proud to announce that President Obama has appointed Jennifer Rodriguez, our Executive Director, to the Presidential Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities.  Jennifer is one of six Presidential appointees to the Commission which will be chaired by David Sanders, Executive Vice President of the Casey Family Programs, and […]

Jennifer Rodriguez on Kids Aging Out of Foster Care Panel

Jennifer Rodriguez participated in the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Children’s Rights Litigation Committee (CRLC)’s teleconference “From 17–21: What Lawyers, Judges, and Agencies Should Be Doing for Kids Aging out of Foster Care” that took place on March 12, 2013.  The teleconference focused on practical ideas and options for lawyers, judges, and agencies to […]

AB 12 and Probation Involved Youth Caregiver Webinar Series

The Youth Law Center is hosting a four-part series of webinars on AB 12, California’s Fostering Connections to Success Act, for relatives, foster parents and other caregivers to probation involved foster youth.  AB 12 extends support up to age 21 to foster youth as they transition to adulthood and independence.  Probation supervised foster youth who […]

YLC Celebrates Release of National Standards for Juvenile Defenders

The National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) has just released the first ever set of National Juvenile Defense Standards.  The Standards represent a comprehensive understanding of the role and duties of the juvenile defender in the 21st century juvenile court system, and seek to strengthen and guide the ethical and professional performance of juvenile defense attorneys […]

YLC Helps to Train Juvenile Court Judges

Every year, juvenile court judges from around California convene for a two-day training put on by the Administrative Office of the Courts, Center for Judicial Education and Research.  YLC Staff Attorney Sue Burrell was invited to this year’s event, to be part of a two-part workshop on juvenile competence to stand trial.  The first part […]

Supporting Young Adults Training

The Youth Law Center, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, and Bay Area Legal Aid will be providing training on Supporting Young Adults at the Traveling Training sponsored by the Legal Aid Association of California on November 2, 2012 in Riverside. Title:  Supporting Young Adults: Cash, Medi-Cal, and Housing for Transition Age Youth Name of Trainers:  […]

Two AB 12 Trainings

Alice Bussiere, Youth Law Center Staff Attorney, Brian Blalock, Bay Area Legal Aid,  and Rebecca Marcus, San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, provided training on extended foster care benefits under AB 12 to San Francisco public defenders and panel attorneys on September 18, 2012. On September 19, 2012, Maria Ramiu, Youth Law Center Managing Director, Brian […]

Jennifer Rodriguez Featured in National NCYC Webcast

On September 12th, Jennifer Rodriguez, YLC Executive Director, presented on a National Center for Youth In Custody webinar titled “Creating and Sustaining Improved Conditions for Youth In Custody”. Jennifer’s presentation focused on how litigation can be one important tool among others for addressing specific issues that impact incarcerated youth. Additionally, Jennifer’s presentation covered the need […]

Juvenile Justice Reform: A Blueprint

The Youth Transition Funders Group is thrilled to announce the latest edition of their publication, Juvenile Justice Reform: A Blueprint, aimed at improving outcomes for our youth, specifically those in the juvenile justice system. The Youth Law Center is listed as a Resource. Learn more about juvenile justice reform and download the Blueprint here: Juvenile […]

YLC Takes Part in Alphabet Soup Training

The Youth Law Center joined with Brian Blalock at Bay Area Legal Aid to provide training on benefits for children in foster care at the Family Resource Network in Oakland on April 11. The training is part of YLC’s Alphabet Soup series and covered AFDC-FC (foster care benefits), Kin-GAP (Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payments), AAP (Adoption […]

YLC One of Alphabet Soup Series Trainers

The Youth Law Center, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, and Bay Area Legal Aid provided training on extended foster care benefits to attorneys who represent children in juvenile court in San Francisco on February 15. The training is part of the Alphabet Soup series that YLC, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, and Bay Area Legal […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

Series of Reports on Health of Young Men and Boys of Color

New reports show that place matters when it comes to the health of young men and boys of color. These reports, funded by The California Endowment, collectively show that place matters when it comes to the health of African-American and Latino boys and young men. Negative health outcomes for boys and young men of color […]

CDSS to Provide County Probation Access to CWS/CMS

Tuesday Morning  — Effective October 1, 2010, county probation departments will be able to have access to the County Welfare Services/Child Management System (CWS/CMS) database, the statewide system used for reporting case data on children in the Child Welfare System to provide policy makers with information. Probation departments will be the first entities other than public […]

Two Recently Released Juvenile Justice Publications

Locked Up and Out – Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual, & Transgender – Youth in Louisiana’s Juvenile Justice System (2010) By Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana This report addresses how LGBT youth are funneled into the deep end of the juvenile justice system, the particular challenges that they face once there, and the lack of resources available specific to […]

Mental Health Issues in California’s Juvenile Justice System

Youth Law Center’s work on placement delay was cited in a recent Berkeley Center on Criminal Justice Policy Brief, Mental Health Issues in California’s Juvenile Justice System (May 2010). The Policy Brief discusses a range is issues in serving youth with mental health needs in the California juvenile justice system, including the need for uniform […]

New YTFG Publication!

In an effort to strengthen philanthropic investments among its membership, the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG) asked a group of policy experts to provide recommendations on how foundations can work to encourage effective policy solutions on issues affecting youth in transition to adulthood. The issue brief, Connected by 25: Effective Policy Solutions for Vulnerable Youth, […]

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. The report documents that Nebraska’s current structure for providing GAL […]

Equity Project’s “Hidden Injustice”

The Equity Project has just released Hidden Injustice: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth in Juvenile Courts. Hidden Injustice is the first comprehensive report to examine the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in juvenile courts nationwide. LGBT youth comprise a significant portion (up to 13%) of youth in detention, according to […]

Training in Indiana

YLC staff Sue Burrell, Corene Kendrick and Deborah Escobedo will be heading to Indianapolis, Indiana to present an all-day workshop on Facility Conditions Standards at the National Partnership for Juvenile Services Conference held October 11-14, 2009. YLC co-authored an extensive set of standards for juvenile detention centers as part of its technical assistance work for […]

Corene Kendrick Part of Nebraska NJDC Team

Staff Attorney Corene Kendrick was part of a team of juvenile justice experts organized by the National Juvenile Defender Center to travel to Nebraska to assess the access to and quality of juvenile defense counsel in the state.  The National Juvenile Defender Center has performed 16 of these assessments across the country.  The assessments provide […]

YLC Co-Sponsoring AB 12

YLC is co-sponsoring 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.  AB 12 has broad support, with 37 co-authors, and 8 co-sponsors including: the California Alliance of Child & Family Services, the California Youth Connection, the […]

California Working Families Policy Summit January 13, 2009

The Youth Law Center is co-sponsor of the 2009 California Working Families Policy Summit to be held January 13 at the Sacramento Convention Center.  Organized by The California Center for Research on Women and Families, the Summit is expected to bring together over 700 policymakers and advocates to address high priority policy issues for California […]

Kids Count Data Book Available

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 19th annual Kids Count Data Book is now available. The annual Data Book is a national and state-by-state profile of the well-being of America’s children that seeks to enrich discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all kids. The Data Book ranks states on 10 key measures and provides […]

2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book Now Available

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 18th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book is now available. The annual Data Book is a national and state-by-state profile of the well-being of America’s children that seeks to enrich discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all kids. The Data Book ranks states on 10 key measures and provides […]