Walker & Dade County Juvenile Courts

My summer placement through the Children's Justice Act Summer Program afforded me the wonderful opportunity to work in the juvenile courts of The Honorable McCracken Poston and The Honorable Bryant Henry of Catoosa County and Walker/Dade Counties respectively. The counties are small in population compared to metropolitan courts; however, they progressively seek opportunities to address juvenile welfare concerns and bring appropriate support agencies into their communities.

The Court Administrator for Catoosa County had a pre-set schedule for me to participate not only in juvenile court for that county, but also Walker and Dade Counties. Additionally, my time was devoted to the Department of Family and Children Services, the Special-Assistant Attorney General, Court-Appointed Special Advocates, Department of Juvenile Justice and the Children's Advocacy Center. I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of child welfare agencies as it allowed me to see all aspects and stages of juvenile deprivation proceedings. This exposure also made me realize how ingrained such problems are in communities and how many concerns for children overlap into other areas of law and welfare systems.

Department of Juvenile Justice hosted me primarily throughout my first week of placement. I became familiar with the processing of children on delinquency cases and the different options available to the Department such as informal adjudication, abeyances, probation and residential placements. During my time there, I began to realize the substantial connection between juvenile delinquency and deprivation issues. A majority of the complaints filed against the children were unruly charges filed by their parents. In almost all cases, these parents did not have the proper parenting skills to control and care for their children. In reviewing the cases, I also noticed children who were being charged with sexual offences had a history of sexual assault as a child themselves. These observations were but the first in my understanding the cyclical nature of juvenile deprivation.

The opportunity to research for and to observe two different judges throughout the summer afforded me the opportunity to see different approaches and ideologies regarding juvenile court proceedings. Judge Poston took a very proactive approach by asking many questions of all of the parties involved in order to determine the problems that caused the child to be a subject of a proceeding. Judge Henry had a very procedural approach during the hearing in order to make sure every decision made by the court was proper and often took cases under advisement. I found that both approaches rendered the same results and both judges reflected how the best interests of children should always be the focus of all juvenile court proceedings regardless of the judge's personal style.

Early in my placement I found that I occasionally had free time due to a lack of court hearings. The Barton Clinic had research assignments available if the need arose and I was given the opportunity to research Federal Title IV-E reasonable efforts requirements that states must follow in order to have DFCS placements funded by the Federal government. I became familiar with the reasonable efforts requirements through the Children's Justice Act training. The assignment was to gather as much information available regarding the enforcement of disallowances to the states for failure to exercise reasonable efforts to prevent children from being placed outside of their families. I quickly realized that the Federal government has historically experienced a difficult time in accurately tracking true compliance with Title IV-E and has been developing different strategies to address the issue. This project helped me understand the difficulties inherent in the need for government intervention into the welfare of children. Although it is proper for the government to take a role in protecting children, it is an unnatural one and has been very cumbersome to deal with holistically.

Citizen Review Panels are held in three counties in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit and I was available to observe these reviews in Walker and Catoosa Counties. These reviews were very interesting and I felt like the Panel Members truly pursued the best interests of children. They held DFCS accountable for any delays in seeking services for children or placing the children back into their homes. I felt that this component of juvenile court allowed persons in the community to get involved in issues that affect children in their counties. These citizens added a fresh new perspective on deprivation cases and were not hesitant to ask difficult questions of both the families and DFCS. I was also impressed that children attended these hearings as I felt it was important that they know they have an input on their future.

My experience assisting a Special Assistant Attorney General offered the opportunity for me to focus on how I could directly apply my legal education to child welfare issues. I found that he had the most continuously stressful component of juvenile court as he was required to consult directly with DFCS workers, the judge and court-appointed attorneys. The position requires a delicate balance between following the laws of Georgia and addressing issues that may contribute to the child's situation but are not allowed to be presented before the court. Beyond the courtroom, the SAAG and I met with DFCS in Catoosa County prior to review hearings to determine what recommendations should be made to the court.

Performing research and assisting a court-appointed attorney for parents gave me another opportunity to apply the legal profession to child welfare issues. I found that it can be very difficult to advise parents when they are emotional about having their children removed from their home. Additionally, I found that parents occasionally lie in front of the judge about being able to pass a drug test and their previous criminal histories; it can be difficult to work hard for someone to only have them to defeat their interests. However, I greatly admired the persistence of the court-appointed attorney to pursue every avenue available to her clients. Fortunately, the parents are very relieved to have someone representing their interests and their desire to keep their children home.

My placement this summer went well beyond my expectations of an internship. I felt that I truly had an opportunity to learn every aspect of juvenile court proceedings and child welfare, which proved to be much more involved than I had ever imagined. Beyond the law and procedure, I gained great insight into the motivations and passion that each person I worked with attributed to pursuing the best interest of children. My placement was invaluable and has made a great impact in my professional aspirations.