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.
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29:33
Are 60,000 TPRs Necessary?
In this episode, Angela interviews Professor Vivek Sankaran, Director of the Child Advocacy Law and Child Welfare Appellate Clinics at the University of Michigan's School of Law. Professor Sankaran encourages stakeholders to question whether TPR is in the best interests of as many children as we think it is. He and Angela talk about his article, The ties that bind us: An empirical, clinical, and constitutional argument against terminating parental rights, which found over 60,000 TPRs were granted annually between 2016-2019, despite a declining foster care population. While recognizing TPR is necessary in some cases, he poses some thoughtful questions for others.
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35:52
Reimagining the System with Public Knowledge
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-book
Public 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/
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32:05
Feeling Unsafe When Your Placement is "Secure"
January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and we want to give children's attorneys some perspectives on advocating for child victims going forward. Angela talked to Professor Emma Hetherington, from the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic at University of Georgia School of Law (CEASE Clinic) about how identifying the individualized needs of HT/CSEC victims can lead to better outcomes for safety and independent living.
Professor Hetherington offered resources to learn more:
Harm Reduction Series Introduction, California Child Trafficking Response Unit (2018): https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/BTB25-3E-01.pdf
Harm Reduction Series Caregiver, California Child Trafficking Response Unit (2022): https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/lac/1125790_CaregiverHarmReductionI-31_22.pdf
You can click the title to hear our previous discussion with Professor Hetherington, "When Your Client is A Victim of Sex Trafficking" and see links to even more resources. Thanks for being our listener and please like, subscribe and share!
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35:47
Recommit to the Work
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.
Welcome to the Children’s Law Podcast brought to you by True North Child Advocates. Our goal is to empower children’s lawyers to help abused and neglected children get home faster. Listen as we discuss practical tips, our unique permanency-focused practice philosophy, and topics of interest for any child welfare professional working to improve outcomes for kids.
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