DRAFT: 24 January, 2000

Proposal for the Establishment of the
Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic
at Emory University

PRESENTED BY:

Andrew Barclay

Andy has advanced degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and Stanford University. In 1995 he left a 10-year career in digital signal processing and medical imaging research to become a part-time internet software consultant and full-time volunteer. Over the past 4 years he has built databases and web sites and provided statistical support for over a dozen area non-profits. His referral web sites contain over 5000 resources and are accessed by more than 120,000 users annually. Andy is now working on a Ph.D. dissertation in Biostatistics at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. He still devotes much of his time to volunteer work, but that work will soon be incorporated into his dissertation topic in the area of spatial statistics.

Michelle Barclay

Michelle is a 1996 graduate of Emory University School of Law. Before her law degree, she also obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Emory University in 1990 and a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies from Georgia State University in 1993. She worked in trauma/ICU hospital settings for 10 years as a nurse. Michelle has served as the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Child Placement Project Director for the last three years. The project’s mission is to improve Georgia’s process of handling child abuse and neglect cases. Current projects include automation of juvenile court records (including software, hardware and training), sponsorship of juvenile court stakeholder meetings and cross-trainings around the state, development of a model court, and mediation for child deprivation cases. Michelle is a member of the Advisory Board for the Emory Child Advocacy Project and has been successful in raising funds for several summer internships. She has recently been appointed by Georgia’s Commissioner of DHR to an advisory committee to review the child protection system.

Karen Worthington

Karen is a 1994 graduate of Emory School of Law, and a member of both the Advisory Board for the Emory Public Interest Committee and the Advisory Board for the Emory Child Advocacy Project. Karen has worked on child welfare and juvenile justice matters at the state and county level in Georgia, including directing a statewide study of how courts handle abuse and neglect matters, helping to establish the Juvenile Advocacy Division of Georgia Indigent Defense Council, and serving as Director of Program Development for Fulton County Juvenile Court with a staff of thirteen, including three attorneys. Karen is active in several state and national organizations including the State Bar Commission on Children and the Courts, the Georgia Coalition for Juvenile Justice, the ABA Juvenile Defender Network, and the ABA Committee on Children and the Courts. She has presented at national conferences, has published in local and national publications, and has served as an ABA consultant to assist with establishing a legal child advocacy center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

MISSION OF THE CLINIC

To promote and protect the well-being of neglected and abused children in the state of Georgia and to inspire excellence among the adults responsible for protecting and nurturing these children.

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES

• Director will teach workshops at Emory School of Law that are relevant to the practice of law on behalf of children

• Students will receive academic credit for serving as interns for the Clinic, performing such tasks as: legal and sociological research on issues affecting children’s welfare in Georgia; assistance with litigation on behalf of children; representation of children in court; evaluation of court practices in Georgia and nationally; publishing scholarly research and training materials; detailed analysis of federal and state legislation; drafting and tracking legislation; advocating in non-court settings for the adoption of public policy

• Clinic will host at least one symposium annually, to be broadcast on the internet and to distance learning sites across Georgia

• Clinic will develop and maintain a website to serve as “the Georgia resource” on child abuse and neglect issues

• Clinic will provide research, training, and other support to entities and individuals seeking to improve the child welfare system in Georgia

• Clinic will coordinate the Emory Child Advocacy Program summer internships

• Clinic will act as a catalyst for improvements in the child welfare system in Georgia at all levels, including legislation, policy and regulations, and litigation

• Clinic will promote the ethical practice of law and representation of children in juvenile court and child welfare matters through workshops, symposiums, publications, and exemplary practice

• Clinic will promote an interdisciplinary approach to child welfare matters by collaborating with such entities as the School of Public Health, Center for Violence Studies, School of Nursing, and Medical School

• Clinic will promote collaborations with other institutions of higher learning such as the Morehouse School of Medicine Child Advocacy Center, the Clark-Atlanta School of Social Work, and the Georgia State University Masters of Social Work program

STATEMENT OF NEED

The media coverage surrounding the deaths of children in state custody highlights the need for reform. Georgia currently has no resource center for the diverse practitioners working on behalf of neglected and abused children. Specialized resources are available for individual professions and some collaborations among the professions have taken place, but there is no central core to which the collaborations can adhere for sustained development and growth. There is also no catalyst for systemic policy and process changes in child welfare practice. Efficient business practices such as automation of records and tracking of case management activities are not universally employed in the child welfare system or in juvenile courts. Finally, there is no resource dedicated to the improvement of the child welfare system for the benefit of the children involved in the system.

The Emory University Child Law and Policy Clinic will fill these voids by providing child-focused resources for all practitioners and policy-makers who are charged with the protection of Georgia’s neglected children. The Clinic will promote the practice of children’s law as a specialized area requiring specialized knowledge and skills. The Clinic will supply practitioners and policymakers with research-based information about best practices and technological advances. The Clinic will provide research-based feedback on whether policies and laws affecting children have their intended effect.

Many individuals working in this field have acknowledged the need for a resource center of this type in Georgia. The following individuals have participated in planning sessions for the development of a resource center and have committed to partnering with the center when it is established.

• Mary Margaret Oliver, child advocate attorney and former Senator

• The Honorable Justice P. Harris Hines, Georgia Supreme Court

• The Honorable Robin Nash, Dekalb County Juvenile Court

• The Honorable Karen Baynes Galvin, Fulton County Juvenile Court

• Kathleen Dumitrescu, Director of Cobb County Legal Aid

• Jan Wheeler, Juvenile Advocacy Division Director, GIDC

• Tammy Sun, Juvenile Rights Project, Southern Center for Human Rights

• Doris Walker, Foster Care Unit Director, State DFCS

• Don Keenan, Children’s Rights Attorney

• Jessica Pennington, Executive Director, Kids In Need of Dreams, Inc.

There are many national resources available to the Clinic. Contact has already been made with the following organizations regarding the creation of this resource center in Georgia. These organizations have agreed to provide assistance in the development and maintenance of the center.

• National Center for Youth Law

• Youth Law Center

• Northwestern University Children and Family Justice Center

• ABA Center on Children and the Law

• ABA Juvenile Justice Center

• ABA Section of Litigation Children’s Law Committee

• Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia

• Suffolk University School of Law Juvenile Justice Center

• Vanderbilt University School of Law Clinical Programs

• Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana

• Project TeamChild, Seattle, Washington

Over 35 foundations have been identified as likely funding sources for specific projects of the Clinic.