The Children's Law Podcast

In this episode, Angela talks with Tim Keller of the Center for the Rights of Abused Children about asserting constitutional rights on behalf of your clients. You won't want to miss this discussion!For more information about the Center for Abused Children: Center for the Rights of Abused ChildrenWe discussed this free resource to jumpstart your practice:A Practice Manual for Lawyers Representing Abused and Neglected Children; Asserting, Arguing, and Appealing the Constitutional Rights of Children in Foster Care

In this episode, John, Jim and Angela discuss the transformative power of filing claims on behalf of your clients. We discuss your duty as a children's lawyer and the specific benefits to your clients.If you have questions or suggested podcast topics, you can now reach us by text (404) 507-2303 or email (angela@childrenslaw.org).If you like the podcast, please share with your colleagues, subscribe and rate the show!

Preventive and pre-petition advocacy is not in all jurisdictions, but when the Title IV-E rule clarified that this representation was eligible for reimbursement, expansion increased. Angela asks Emilie Cook to explain how it works. Emilie is a Senior Attorney at the Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory University School of Law and leads the Preventive Legal Advocacy and Pre-petition Program National Cohort to focus on early intervention and holistic support for at-risk families. The Barton Center has a PLA/PP Cohort that anyone can join to learn more, and here is a link to a fact sheet developed with the National Association of Counsel for Children. We hope you learned something new and valuable, and if you did, please rate and share the podcast!

A LOT of the kids we're representing are being prescribed psychotropic medications - especially the older youth. John, Angela, and Deborah talk about ways children's attorneys can get more information and confidence in this area to effectively advocate for clients even if we don't have medical expertise: The NIH says children in foster care are 6.8% more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medication than their non-foster care peers. As children's attorneys and not medical professionals, it is not our role to diagnose, but it is our role to make sure decision-makers have complete information, ask questions, and make sure everyone has done their due diligence before our clients are added to this very high number. Some children need medicine but what's the full picture? Are the problematic behaviors related to a trauma response? Do they persist across all aspects of the child's life (home, school, etc.)? Are there other therapies or supports that should be used instead of or in addition to the medication? Is everyone following the law? Because of the severity of side effects of some psychotropic medications and because some are not approved for use in children specifically, most states have detailed statutes, administrative rules, and/or operating procedures. Sometimes just holding the system accountable to the child by ensuring the law is followed is enough to protect your client.

A new book “Families Belong Together,” was released by Public Knowledge to help elevate and honor the voices of individuals with lived experience and make the case for reimagining our child welfare system. Stacey Moss, Public Knowledge President and CEO, and Will Hornsby, Senior Vice President of Delivery, talk with Angela about the group’s idea to “replace” the current system with a community-oriented, strengths-focused approach that matches the social, economic, racial, ethnic, and religious realities of each community. The book features stories of families who navigated the system, and serves as a call to action. Stacey, Will, and Angela talk about whether to keep tinkering with improvements on the current system or construct something new and different. As always, there are tips on how children’s attorneys can make an impact. Get the full picture. Getting comprehensive information will help get the “right diagnosis” and better tailored solutions. Talk to your client. Every family has strengths that can serve as natural supports and mitigate risks. Get creative. Advocate for what works for the family, instead of defaulting to what is best for the people that do this work every day. Focus on what brought the child into the system to hone in on what is necessary to get the family out. Stacey says it feels like we're in a fight between safety and permanency - at the expense of focusing on well-being of children and families. Public Knowledge wants to change that. Their powerful book is filled with concrete ideas and stories that can be used for training and to facilitate conversations about how the system can be better. The content of the book is available on the website for free and is being sold on Amazon. Here is the link to the book: https://go.pubknow.com/families-belong-together-bookPublic Knowledge also has a podcast and we invite you to listen in. Click the link to access the Igniting Impact Podcast: https://pubknow.com/media-center/podcast/

Children's attorneys are critically important to the functioning and success of child welfare - but it doesn't always feel that way. Why do we do it? How do you stay in this field and not burn out? Angela, John, and Jim share their perspectives and give a little pep talk to kick off 2025.

Ever come across a case plan packed with tasks that have little to do with a family's actual challenges? What is the child's attorney's role? Angela and Jim dive into this topic, discussing how children's attorneys can influence case planning. They explore the gap between ideal practices and what is happening on the ground, and share how a child's attorney can take a proactive role to benefit their clients.

In this episode we're talking about staying in the profession, with ideas for both individual attorneys and organizations. The reality is there isn't always money available to retain employees in this field, even if they love it. Angela, Jim, and Deborah (a new voice) discuss strategies they've used and new ideas from their facilitated discussion at the National Association of Counsel for Children conference.

In this episode, Angela talks with Shannon Felder, Training Director at the National Association of Counsel for Children. Listen to learn about upcoming training opportunities and ways to connect with fellow children's lawyers. And be sure to join us at the NACC conference in Salt Lake City August 12-14, 2024! We will be presenting at the preconference Children's Law Office Project Convening. We hope to see you there! Click HERE to registerTo learn more about NACC membership or to join, click HERE.

Some of our child clients have been talking to John and Jim about adoption, which inspired an episode about how we think of adoption as children's attorneys: It's important to understand all the things that come with and all the things that get taken away with adoption. Federal policies and local practices seem to swing on a pendulum as to whether adoption is to be emphasized or strenuously avoided, but we focus on finding the best possible option for each singular client and keep it in our tool belts. One way we think of the issue is that adoption is about the risk of harm from the continued pursuit of reunification versus the risk of harm due to the loss of their birth family. As a child's attorney, knowing your client and the dynamics affecting them will help you recognize when adoption might be the best strategy for the child. Thanks for listening and please share with others who might find the podcast helpful!

We talk about work culture and retention a lot in child welfare. Angela talks with Cathy Krebs, Director of the ABA's Children’s Rights Litigation Committee who thinks a new approach to these topics could lead to ways to improve representation. A few of the subjects covered were: Burnout and self-care - Cathy tells a story of a child client who's attorney seemed so distracted and overwhelmed that the child decided not to "burden" the lawyer with what was happening in her life. The need for self-care is real, and doing anything from singing to cooking to meditation has benefit. Mentorship - Attorneys with even a couple years of experience can help others who don't know the culture or may be working alone. Community - If you're a solo practitioner or in a smaller children's law office, there are things you can do within existing resources to create a supportive network, like brown bag lunches or collaborating on systemic advocacy. The ABA's Children's Rights Committee has resources on this topic and tons of others. Some of the studies mentioned include: The Future of Children’s Lawyering Practical Tips for Addressing BurnoutUsing Reflective Case Consultation to Battle Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress2021 Illinois Legal Aid Recruitment and Retention StudyWhat Draws Attorneys to Child Welfare PracticeThe Case for a Centralized Office for Legal Representation in Child Welfare Cases

Sometimes you can move a case with legal arguments and procedural tools, but other times, you have to win hearts and minds. In our newest podcast, Jim, John and Angela share how learning to message in this way can help your child client.

Children's attorneys can't do it all, but in our experience, doing certain things consistently in each case can improve representation and outcomes. We call it practicing with fidelity.For our 50th Episode we wanted to give some concrete tips to our listeners. Listen to this episode to learn three actionable strategies that make a difference when repeated consistently.