School: Emory University School of Law and Rollins School of Public Health

To help me think about the "end" of my summer internship with the Office of the Child Advocate, I started by looking back to the very beginning. I remember my initial interview with Allyson Anderson. She was on the run at mach speed from a meeting in downtown Atlanta, which I later found out was the typical speed of her days. We met at the International House of Pancakes for a combined interview/meal. After five years of commuting in Atlanta traffic, I had doubts about doing an internship that would require me to drive for any length on the interstate, but Allyson's energy for her work in child advocacy and her passion for her job at the OCA convinced me. In the end, I must admit that I actually enjoyed the time I spent exploring the legislative hub near the state Capitol and traveling to the less populous counties in Georgia as part of my internship.

Overall, my experience this summer dispelled my personal myth that a legal internship would be the equivalent to a live burial in the law library. Although I had to spend many hours on my computer scouring governmental websites and state statutes, much of my research involved interacting with people in our state and other states to get information on the "real life" functioning of the child welfare system. Also, the structure of my internship gave me multiple opportunities to actively participate in OCA's activities and to observe experts in child advocacy at work. The dual mantra and function of the OCA is "to investigate, to educate, and to advocate," and I was fortunate to experience each one of the three functions during my internship this summer.

I. To Investigate

Because the OCA is the children's ombudsman office for Georgia, the majority of the OCA staff spends the bulk of their time supporting the office's investigative function. The office receives and investigates citizen complaints from around the state primarily about various county DFCS offices. All the investigators in the OCA have working knowledge of DFCS policy related to their previous work experience in either the agency itself or law enforcement. As part of my internship, I was assigned a few case investigations which allowed me to work with an OCA investigator. By talking to DFCS case managers and reviewing the voluminous records that must be kept to track a child's case, I got my first exposure to DFCS policy and paperwork. As a result, I have more insight into the frequent complaints from DFCS employees about the difficulties with time management and high caseloads.

In contrast, I was able to see the larger picture with my exposure to two different county audits. I was allowed to observe the end of the audit "cycle" in one county, as Allyson reviewed the results of the audit with the county's DFCS supervisors. In the other county, I was able to see the lengthy process of starting and completing an audit. The whole process of auditing was novel to me and I appreciated the opportunity to listen to stakeholder interviews, to observe juvenile court, and to participate in the massive review of DFCS cases.

Although I continue to have sympathy for the difficult work that DFCS case managers do on a daily basis, participating in the large scale review of DFCS cases was another eye opening experience. My opinion of a "massive" number of DFCS cases to review is realistically only a small fraction of cases that exist. I do not work in DFCS but I can imagine that a person flipping through a number of records every day can easily forget (or repress) that each case represents a child. During the audit, I found and discussed a case with Allyson where the child had apparently "fallen through the cracks" of the system. After Allyson alerted the DFCS supervisor of the erroneous closure of the case, Allyson was reassured that the case would be reopened and the child's needs would be addressed. The unfortunate reality, I realize, is that every case in every county cannot be audited.

II. To Educate

The Annual Guardian Ad Litem Conference was the largest event for me this summer that appeared to fulfill the OCA's function regarding education, but I recognize that the OCA also fulfills its mission to educate in more subtle ways. The GAL conference was a concentrated effort to provide educational workshops over the course of three days that would be useful and applicable to attorneys, CASA volunteers, and all others in the child advocacy world. Although I was able to assist in various ways with the conference, I spent more time as a participant, sitting in on workshops and listening to the keynote speakers. The conference also provided me with the opportunity to see many players in the child advocacy realm congregate in one place.

The remainder of the summer, I observed the more subtle ways that the OCA works to educate others about child advocacy. For instance, I read the annual report of the office which is available to the public online at the office's website, providing every citizen unfettered access to information on the state of the child welfare system in Georgia. Finally, I cannot underestimate the participation of the OCA, in collaboration with the Barton Clinic, in providing law students with the opportunity to intern in their office to learn more about child advocacy.

III. To Advocate

True to its name, another major function of the OCA is to advocate for the well-being and health of children in Georgia. A large amount of the time I spent shadowing Allyson was dedicated to this function. She allowed me to observe a number of meetings throughout the summer with other members of the child advocacy community, legislators and judges, and even one panel of foster kids attempting to organize for self-advocacy. Because each organization has its niche or its individual issue, I also appreciated seeing the various coalitions which had formed to encourage open communication among the groups. At the end of my summer, I continue to be amazed at the number and the variety of groups advocating for children in the state and will likely continue to struggle to remember all their acronyms.

The bulk of my independent time during my internship this summer was spent researching other state practices. Because OCA makes legislative proposals for the benefit of children every session, my main project this summer was to research the topic of child representation, in order to assist with a possible proposal that children in deprivation proceedings be appointed legal counsel. After researching state statutes, models of representation, and budgetary information nation-wide, Alex, another intern at OCA, and I were able to present our research not only to a group of state experts on juvenile issues but also the governor's policy advisor. The topic sparked much debate in both presentations, and I know the OCA will continue to research and address questions on the issue in the future. Although the presentations gave me some closure regarding my summer project, I also learned this summer that advocacy never ends.

Before this summer, I would have thought that the child advocacy world was too large, the issues too broad, and the interests too narrow for much communication among the state players in DFCS, juvenile justice, and academia. After noting the repetition of many of the same names and talking to others in the field, I realize now that the child advocacy world is actually much smaller. I appreciate the opportunity I have had this summer to experience this world. I believe the measure of a great learning experience is how far you can carry it with you. I would like to reassure all of you that I will remember my experience with the Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program for a long time. Thank you for the opportunity to participate!