WASHINGTON, D.C., July 7, 2011 – Youth aging out of foster care, improving educational outcomes for children in care, bullying and LGBTQ youth in the foster care system are among topics to be explored at the 14th Annual American Bar Association National Conference on Children and the Law, July 15 – 16 at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington, Va. The ABA Center on Children and the Law, sponsor of the conference, provides technical assistance, training and research addressing a broad spectrum of law and court-related topics affecting children.

On July 16, Justice Joette Katz, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families and former associate justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court, will present the keynote address at the conference luncheon, 12:15 – 1 p.m.

The following programs are among the highlights and consist of expert panelists from the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, the Legal Aid Justice Center, National Drug Court Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice.

“Countering Public Myths & Stereotypes During Child Welfare Court Proceedings – A Dialogue” — A panel of journalists will explore misimpressions about the families involved in the child welfare system often harbored by juvenile court judges and child welfare attorneys. Are there inappropriate family stereotypes that lead to inappropriate decisions? How can lawyers and other advocates for children and parents best dispel critical misimpressions within the context of their in-court and out-of-court work?
July 15, 9 – 10:15 a.m.

“System Reform to Improve Educational Outcomes for Children in Care” — Panelists will highlight two current state efforts that bring child welfare, education and other critical systems together to address the educational needs of children in care, and discuss the challenges and successful strategies each encountered. Examples will highlight the unique role courts and legal advocates can play to make these reforms happen.
July 15, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m.

“Improving Legal Paths for Kinship Caregivers” — The 2010 census confirms that more and more children are being cared for by grandparents and other relatives. This workshop will identify past and ongoing state and federal policy and practice developments, and allow attendees to ideate various legal adaptations and practice solutions to assist kin caregivers.
July 15, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m.

“Foster Youth Identity Theft and Financial Security Reforms” — Identity theft heightens barriers between emancipating foster youth and fully successful adult life. This program will identify risks of identity theft for children in foster care, current initiatives to address this issue, and explore the role of youth advocates in helping child welfare agencies prepare foster youth for financial security transitions to adulthood.
July 15, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m.

“Dependency Drug Court Interventions: Ensuring Effective Treatment” — Panelists will provide a basic understanding of best practices in serving families affected by substance use disorders and discuss how judges and attorneys can help ensure treatment quality and that Family Drug Court clinical staff have both expertise in evidenced-based practices and comprehensive data tracking on treatment outcomes.
July 15, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m.

“Understanding Issues Related to LGBTQ Youth” — This program is designed to address the myths and stereotypes of the LGBTQ culture, the frustrations of foster youth in “coming out,” and how professionals working with these youth can be more sensitive while providing quality services.
July 15, 12:45 – 2:15 p.m.

Psychotropic Medication of Our Clients: What’s to be Done? — Psychotropic medications are given to an estimated 25 – 45 percent of youth in foster care. This workshop will highlight the risks and benefits of such drugs and other treatment, and identify systemic approaches that improve mental health and permanency outcomes, while ensuring effective oversight of prescription medication generally.
July 15, 12:45 – 2:15 p.m.

“The Kids are Listening: Addressing Bullying and Cyberbullying” — The negative consequences of bullying, including cyberbullying, are acknowledged by the media and can be seen in schools and neighborhoods across the country.  Panelists will discuss the facts about bullying, including the incidence and characteristics of cyberbullying, and explain how attorneys can help the youth with whom they interact.
July 15, 2:30 – 4 p.m.

“Right from the Start in Addressing Poverty and Race: The Courts Catalyzing Change Preliminary Protective Hearing” — The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ Courts Catalyzing Change Initiative creates and disseminates judicial tools, policy and practice guidelines that court systems can implement to reduce racial disproportionality and disparate treatment in foster care. This workshop will identify and discuss successes and challenges in implementing new judicial tools for examining poverty and race issues, as a means to reduce such disparity.
July 15, 2:30 – 4 p.m.

“Empathic Exhaustion: Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma in Our Work” — Attorneys representing children are challenged by the emotional effects of working with clients who have directly experienced trauma. Advocates will participate in a dialogue about the issue and share preventive and responsive techniques to maintain and promote their emotional, physical and mental well-being to best meet their professional responsibilities.
July 15, 4 – 5:30 p.m.

“Ethical Obligations and Strategies in Addressing Family Immigration Issues” — This workshop will address family connections and relative placement both pre- and post-disposition in the context of immigrant child and family member context. The program will also look into addressing immigration issues and cultural competency for lawyers, including ethical obligations.
July 15, 4 – 5:30 p.m.

“Advice from the Experts: Young Adults Advise Attorneys on Critical Issues for Representing Older Youth in Care” — Young adult experts who have exited foster care will discuss strategies for client representation that focus on youth involvement and engagement in court and case planning, adolescent permanency and adult connections, as well as LGBTQ considerations, among other critical issues in representing older youth in care.
July 16, 8:30 – 10 a.m.

“Protecting Foster Children Facing School Disciplinary Actions” will focus on issues encountered by youth in foster care while increasing awareness of children’s rights in the school discipline context. Participants will learn more about school disciplinary processes; children’s due process rights in this context and the sources of those rights; and steps legal professionals can take to ensure these rights are protected and children are not excluded unnecessarily and illegally from school.
July 16, 1:15 – 2:45 p.m.

“Legal Issues Related to Children Exposed to Domestic Violence” — Panelists will investigate the impact of exposure to domestic violence and the ways in which it translates into specific custody and visitation recommendations.
July 16, 1:15 – 2:45 p.m.

“Federal Role in Equal Opportunity to Education and Access to Justice in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Cases” — Federal staff from the Department of Justice’s Educational Opportunities Section of the Civil Rights Division, DOJ Access to Justice Initiative, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will discuss initiatives designed to address the needs of children, youth and families involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
July 16, 3 – 4:30 p.m.

This event is free and open to members of the press. For further schedule details, please contact Alexandra Buller at Alexandra.Buller@Americanbar.org or 202/662-1508.

As an entity of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, the Center on Children and the Law has for more than 32 years been a leader in providing technical assistance, training and research programming that addresses the broad spectrum of law and court-related topics associated with children.  The center works to help professionals meet the needs of vulnerable children involved in the court system through a variety of avenues and is funded by grants and contracts through governmental and private sources.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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