The Barton Clinic was established in March 2000 to address the need in Georgia for an organization dedicated to effecting systemic policy and process changes for the benefit of the children in Georgia's child welfare system. The clinic helps Georgia serve neglected and abused children by providing multi-disciplinary, child-focused research, training, and support for practitioners and policymakers charged with protecting Georgia's children. Located at Emory Law School, the clinic collaborates with Emory's Rollins School of Public Health, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, School of Medicine and the Center for Violence Studies, as well as other Georgia colleges and universities.

The origins of the Barton clinic are in the School of Law's Child Advocacy Project, which began in 1992 and provides summer internships in the field. The establishment of the year-round legal clinic with a full-time director is made possible by an on-going grant from the Barton Fund.

The clinic's activities and priorities are directed by a Steering Committee that includes Dr. Randy Alexander, Mr. Andy Barclay, Ms. Bessie Barnett, Ms. Kathleen Dumitrescu, The Hon. Karen Baynes, Provost Woody Hunter, Prof. Janette Pratt, and the Hon. Robin Nash. To ensure that a broader spectrum of professions and organizations contribute to and are informed about the work of the clinic, we also have a larger Advisory Board that includes Prof. Robert Agnew, Ms. Allyson Anderson, Prof. John Carter, Ms. Donna Carson, Mr. Shawn Huff, Mr. William Jenkins, Mr. Eric John, Mr. Wilfred Hamm, Mr. J. Tom Morgan, Prof. Peter Lyons, and Ms. Sandra Wood.

Milestones:

• January 24, 2000: Initial Proposal for Establishment of the Clinic.
• March 31, 2000: Press Release Announcing the Clinic.
• December 1, 2000: Our beloved friend Mary Margaret Oliver joins the Barton Clinic!, AJC story.
• February 9, 2001: Dr. Patrice Harris joins us as our Senior Policy Fellow funded by a $94,000 award from the Blank Foundation.
• March 24, 2001: 30 Million New Dollars Allocated to Georgia's Child Protection System -- The Largest Increase Ever.
• August ??, 2001: The ABA selects the Barton Clinic as the new home of the Southern Juvenile Defender Center (SJDC).