School: Emory University School of Law

This summer has been an encouraging and insightful one. Child advocacy was something I was considering, and what I got what I wanted out of this internship. I wanted to see the ins and outs of this "business," meet people, see the scope of child advocacy, see what different programs have done for children, and to get writing experience.

The summer started out with an intensive week of training that I thought was simply terrific. It was jam packed: speakers and videos and papers. The training provided a lot of information but in a manageable way. I felt confident that I had gotten a very good basis for my summer, and I was right. The training laid a very good foundation for the interns.

My big project for the summer was creating a report for the Office of the Child Advocate on the Medical Passport for children in foster care. I worked on the report completely on my own: at home, at the law library, coffee shops…what did people do before Westlaw was available online! (Epiphany: not everyone can afford Westlaw…hmm…) While information was fairly available, it was very scattered with no cohesive path to follow. So as time went on, I divided my research into law, policy, and technology, and formulated my outline accordingly. What ended up happening was I developed a basic understanding what of what I thought was needed to implement the program. My first rough draft was entirely my thoughts. I then incorporated my research, and interestingly, the law component of my research was the last of the bunch to go into the paper.

The report is finally done, and I hope I was able to submit a work product that toed the line between law and policy. I know my audience will be lawyers, interns, social workers, public health students, and hopefully physicians.

I am also interested in turning this report into a directed research project. There is research I have that I was unable to incorporate or have barely skimmed the surface of. There are also sections that merit entire reports on their own. What I have now is usable based on its intent, but it can be a much more detailed paper.

I also had investigative files assigned to me, with different investigators as the lead on them. The files were opened as a result of reporters notifying the Office with concerns, and I then investigated the appropriate agencies to get information and made a determination of whether a report was handled adequately. The Office of the Child Advocate has a checklist system which I followed pretty closely. By the end of the summer, I had done as much as I could with the files, and closed them. I then turned them in to the respective investigators for them to handle, and once they determine my work was thorough, the files get closed in fortis with the Child Advocate's signature.

Other than these two projects, everything else I did this summer was collaborative. For the office, I assisted with the H.B. 866 bill, went to meetings with or in lieu of my then supervisor, worked on various things around the office, and worked for and at the Child Advocate Conference. It was held in Atlanta this year, so I didn't have to travel far. The conference preparation entailed a lot of tedious envelope stuffing, gathering materials, and the like. The conference itself was great. I was able to attend some of the workshops amidst my assignments during the three days and learned quite a bit. The conference is meant for people who are already child advocates, and so obviously there were a lot of information and feedback from which I could learn.

I did not have to go to the office very often, as I was working from Atlanta, and it is so easy to telecommute nowadays. I went in maybe once every other week, and I kept in touch with my supervisor via phone and email, and with the other intern via phone, email, and IM messenger.

The big "surprise" lesson of the summer had to do with politics. The Child Advocate was replaced during the middle of my internship, with a lot of drama to go with it. I was informed of the possibility on my first day of work. My immediate supervisor was also replaced towards the end of my internship. The changes were anticipated, but nonetheless still rang with discord. This does not speak of the caliber and integrity of the new Child Advocate or Deputy Director, of course. I tried to look at the entire situation objectively and took away from this experience more maturity and insight than originally planned. Ultimately, people in leadership roles and care giver roles will change; you just have to keep in mind that it is the children you are advocating for and the changes you yourself make that matters.

I was also involved with the ESCAP program, as that was my funding. I thought this added such an important element to my placement. Over the summer I spoke with other interns and their supervisors, so my experience was furthered broadened. Child advocates have to collaborate with other agencies and so forth, and it was so important that interns get to see all sides of this world.