Support Center for Child Advocates

Erin O'Brien joins us as faculty at the Kids at Court Conference for a session on how to utilize Experts and Motions to reduce exposure to trauma for child victims or witnesses. Erin is First Assistant District Attorney in Chester County. She has tried more than 90 domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse jury trials and handled thousands of child abuse, neglect, and sexual assault investigations. Erin is an experienced trainer and advocate for justice. To see her presentation, register for one of our upcoming Kids at Court Conferences (Philadelphia on 9/13 and Pittsburgh on 9/20): https://lnkd.in/e4enKpwn

The Kids at Court Conference has featured faculty from CASA Youth Advocates, Inc. of Chester and Delaware counties, including: - Tamara Wilson (she/her/hers), J.D., Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Chester County Program Manager, CASA Youth Advocates serving Delaware and Chester Counties; - Shakira Hansley Ellerson, J.D., Policy & Advocacy Coalition Director, Voices for Children Coalition, CASA Youth Advocates; - and CASA Youth Advocates and Youth Voices Council Founding Members, Kiera and Patricia. Members of the CASA team will facilitate a session on Attorneys and Systems Change at our Pittsburgh conference on September 20th at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, with a focus on developing cultural humility, interrupting implicit bias, and initiating efforts to build diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in the legal profession. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e4enKpwn

Attorneys face high rates of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout, especially in matters involving children. The Kids at Court Conference will encourage participants to reflect on how STS may impact them, and in turn, their clients: https://lnkd.in/e4enKpwn We've been fortunate to work with a team of experts on this topic at our four different conferences, including Nathan Riley, Project CARE Advocate; Sandra Simkins, Interim Dean of Students, Rutgers University Law School; Katherine Norton, Director of the Family Law Clinic at Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University; Lucy Johnston-Walsh, Director of Director of Penn State Dickinson Law School Family Law Clinic; Karen Galbraith, Social Work Supervisor, Penn State Dickinson Law School; Mary Coyne Pugh, Esquire, Executive Director of MCAP; and Center for Excellence in Advocacy Director, Meghan Johnson, MPH.

In planning the Kids at Court Conference, we have benefitted greatly from having advisors and faculty who have lived experience going to court as kids. We've been fortunate to partner with Foster Strong, a statewide network of foster care alumni, Philly Voice for Change, Child Advocates Youth Survivor Advisory Board, as well as former SCCA clients who are now advocates for change, Duane Price and Nathan Riley. The Kids at Court Conference will close with a panel featuring several advocates with lived experience, who will bring the perspective of youth, parents, resource parents, kinship providers, child welfare professionals, and systems-change advocates. Our esteemed panelists include, Constance Iannetta, Executive Director, Foster Strong; Stacy Johnson, Board President, Foster Strong; and April Lee, Director of Programs for Philly Voice for Change. Child Advocates Staff Attorney, Sydney Groll, will moderate. To see this incredible panel, please register for our upcoming Kids at Court Conferences at Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law and the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University: https://lnkd.in/e4enKpwn

There's still time to confirm your slot at this year's Child Advocates Golf Classic, benefiting our Project for Children with Complex Medical Needs. We have twosomes and foursomes still available, so visit https://lnkd.in/d-i2VPe to REGISTER or DONATE today! The Project for Children with Complex Medical Needs is a critical initiative led by a staff attorney and social worker, who team with specially trained volunteer lawyers, to secure necessary medical treatment, special education, rehabilitation services, and permanent nurturing homes for our clients with serious and chronic medical needs. The project serves close to 150 young people each year.

The Kids at Court Conference has benefitted greatly from the expertise of Brenda Harkavy as featured faculty and advisor, as well as the sponsorship of her firm, Raynes & Lawn. Brenda is a fierce and experienced litigator who has represented countless survivors in the pursuit of justice against institutional misconduct, currently as a civil litigator and with previous experience as a Special Victims Unit Prosecutor. Brenda will present at each conference on strategies to support child victims and witnesses in the courtroom. In Pittsburgh, she will be joined by Deputy District Attorney at the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, Jennifer DiGiovanni, who oversees the county's Child Abuse and Crimes against Persons Units. In Philadelphia, Brenda will co-present with an FBI Victim Specialist and a survivor with lived experience of Human Trafficking who participated in a criminal trial.

The Kids at Court Conference morning session is capped off by an in-depth consideration of what attorneys can learn from Forensic Interviewers about communicating with children. Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center Program Director and former Child Advocates' attorney, Jane Kim, Esq. is co-presenting with Clara Rincon Roberti, MSW,LSW the lead Forensic Interviewer at UPMC Child Advocacy Center of Central Pennsylvania. Jane and Clara will present on how attorneys can implement the essential elements of Forensic Interviewing into their interactions with children, including being trauma informed, child-led, developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive, and utilizing a non-leading, neutral, and information gathering approach. To learn from Jane and Clara, register for one of our upcoming Kids at Court Conference trainings (Philadelphia on 9/13 and Pittsburgh on 9/20!): https://lnkd.in/e4enKpwn

The Kids at Court Conference will feature Nadeem Bezar, Esq., a partner at Kline & Specter, PC who has won scores of million-dollar-plus verdicts and settlements on behalf of abuse survivors. To learn from Nadeem's incredible experience, please register here: https://lnkd.in/e4enKpwn Nadeem will walk participants through various fact patterns and advise on how to proceed effectively on a case while trying to minimize trauma exposure for survivors, with a focus on the needs of very young children as well as those who have survived human trafficking.

There is still time to register for the Philadelphia (9/13) and Pittsburgh (9/20) Kids at Court Conferences! In the meantime, we'd like to introduce you to our esteemed conference faculty. The Kids at Court Conference will kick off with an introduction to Trauma Aware Lawyering by Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law professor, Sarah Katz, Esq. Sarah is currently a Stoneleigh fellow and directs and teaches the Family Law Litigation Clinic. Sarah is a leading expert on applying information about trauma to legal practice and researches and writes about the child protection system, child custody, intimate partner violence, and other family law topics. To see Sarah speak and attend the conference (and earn up to 9.0 CLE credits), please register here: https://lnkd.in/e4enKpwn

There is still time to register for our upcoming Kids at Court Conference and earn 9.0 CLE credits! Get your ticket today at https://lnkd.in/e4enKpwn Join us at Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law on September 13th for the Kids at Court Conference: Trauma Sensitive Strategies for Attorneys. This conference is open to all attorneys who interact with children and youth in their courtroom practice, including, but not limited to, criminal, dependency, delinquency, civil, and domestic relations across Pennsylvania. The conference includes an online pre-requisite session and a live, full-day event. Topics will include oppression-based trauma, the neurobiological impact of trauma, understanding and utilizing forensic interviewing, experts and motions, strategies when children are in-trial and on-the-stand, and more. The content includes the perspective of those with lived experience. Space is limited and pre-registration required.