June, recognized as National Reunification Month, is a time to celebrate family and community, and to raise awareness about the fundamental goal of family reunification in the child welfare system. As described in CLC’s core values, we strive to keep families together. We honor the communities with which our clients identify, and we advocate to foster those connections. This month, we reflect on the efforts of our attorneys, social work investigators, and our specialty teams who fight every day to reunify families. One such team is CLC’s Pre-Filing Intervention Program (PFI), which aims to break the intergenerational cycle of foster care and to keep young families together. The team is comprised of one attorney and two parent support case managers. Working collaboratively, the PFI team meets frequently with current clients who are expecting or parenting to build rapport and a trusting relationship — creating a safe place for the client to express their fears, excitement, uncertainties, and how they would like to reach their parenting goals. Once the team and the client are connected, they work on a strategy together—a parenting plan tailored to fit the needs of the client and their child(ren). The PFI team helps to connect CLC’s clients to resources, services and supports so they can provide a safe and loving home for their child(ren). Since the PFI program started just a few years ago, they have served 114 clients. Thanks to their advocacy, very few were ever separated. Of those that were, every single child has reunified with one or both parents! We are so proud to celebrate the incredible achievements of our PFI Team and the amazing parents they work with. Thank you Kaveh, Ebony, and Sarah for all of your hard work and dedication to keeping families together.
Advocates Gala 2023
Thank you to all who joined us for the Advocates Gala in Sacramento! With the award-winning Grant High School Drumline kicking off the event, it was a beautiful evening of friendship, live music, delicious food, and hope for the future as we listened to inspiring words from our honorees. Ticket to Dream was given our Community Hero Award for their ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of CLC’s clients, and Judge Jerilyn Borack was recognized as the Champion Awardee for her unwavering commitment, inspiring leadership, and dedicated service to children and families impacted by the child welfare system. Thanks to you, and our incredible sponsors, we raised $30,000 to support our clients in Sacramento and Placer Counties!
We were thrilled to have former Senator and Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl attend and help us honor her sister, Judge Borack, and a big thank you to Courtney Dempsey for making the evening extra special as our incredible Master of Ceremonies.
We could not have asked for a better night!
night under the stars on the beautiful Centennial Terrace at the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin
Center. If you have any questions about the event, tickets, or sponsorship opportunities please
contact our Development Manager, Stephanie Talavera at talaveras@clccal.org
Staff Spotlight: Ebony Porter
With June’s designation as “National Reunification Month,” we are especially proud of Ebony Porter for being named a 2023 ABA Reunification Hero! Ebony is a skilled parent support case manager with CLC’s Pre-Filing Representation Program. She is passionate, resourceful, flexible and a fierce advocate for her clients and their children. Ebony is effective at reaching our youth, when others cannot. Sshe has built relationships and open communication with child welfare agency emergency response workers, facilitating collaboration and cooperation — which leads to the best possible outcomes for our youth. Ebony’s ability to build bridges and positive relationships with others has helped to avoid child welfare petitions and family separation for so many young families. We are beyond grateful to have Ebony as a part of the Pre-Filing Team and CLC!
Welcome Summer Law Clerks
Earlier this month, CLC welcomed 45 new summer law clerks from law schools around the nation to our Los Angeles and Sacramento offices. The summer law clerk program is a 10-week program that teaches clerks about the dependency court system, while developing crucial legal skills and learning to think critically about a wide range of child and family welfare issues. Over the next few months, law clerks will receive hands- on training and opportunities to learn about best practices in client engagement, trial preparation, witness interviews, preparation of motions, and more. We hope this new cohort of summer law clerks enjoy their time at CLC and go on to become amazing attorneys for children and families impacted by the child welfare system.
Calling Future Fellows!
Children’s Law Center of California welcomes applicants interested in crafting proposals for fellowship projects (such as the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, Equal Justice Works, Justice Catalyst, school-based opportunities, and others) to begin in Fall 2024. CLC is specifically interested in projects that assist youth, young adults, and court- involved families facing housing injustice and instability in the Los Angeles area but will consider all applicants with a desire to work in one of our existing practice areas or locations. Please see the requirements, timeline, and application instructions below.
Requirements:
- A cover letter discussing why you are interested in applying for a fellowship with CLC (please also describe your project ideas or the issues you are most interested in addressing, including, if applicable, any special interest or experience in working on housing issues)
- Current resume
Please submit the above materials by email to fellowships@clccal.org by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 10, 2023. After July 10, 2023, CLC will review all submissions and will contact applicants under consideration for an interview via Zoom. We expect to have an update for candidates by early August 2023.