School: University of Georgia School of Law

I had an outstanding internship experience working for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundation's One Child, One Lawyer program this summer. No two days were alike. My internship allowed me to see all of the interests and parties that come into play when a child is removed from the home and adjudicated deprived. My experience has underscored for me the important role of the child advocate in ensuring positive outcomes in court and positive outcomes for the child later in life.

I began my internship by doing court observations. This was a very important part of my internship because I was exposed to a wide range of scenarios that prepared me for what I would encounter during the summer. I observed that there are numerous factors that culminate in a child being taken into care. A few of the cases I observed showed me how families in poverty that are making things work are often thrust into the system because of one event that would not be catastrophic for a middle class family. I also observed that in a lot of the deprivation proceedings there was not just one issue or one problem that led to removal. A lot of the families had several concerns that needed to be remedied before the child could come home and there seemed to be a domino effect.

My court observations gave me some concerns. There were several times where I felt like the focus of the court proceedings was efficiency versus taking the time to make everyone aware of the story of the family and child and working to ensure the best outcome for them. As an observer, I heard vocabulary tossed around and I did not see anyone explaining what it meant to the family or the child. Also there were very few times that I observed someone asking the child or family if they had any concerns during the court proceeding.

However, during the summer, I also noticed a move toward more collaboration between the parties. I was able to observe two family team meetings. I was very pleased with how the Department of Family and Children Services was including family members and friends in the case planning process. I think including the family instead of being adversarial is critical to ensuring that once reunification is achieved that it is permanent.

During the summer, I was given an assignment to research the effects of foster care on children. This was pivotal to my realization of the importance of effective advocacy on behalf of children. My research taught me that removal from the home and even a brief stay in care causes a child to experience some trauma. And our system does not do enough to address the effects of removal. I also researched the outcomes for youth aging out of care. This is an area where I would like to do further work. I feel that our system does not do enough for these youth. We expect way more of them than is expected of a teen in a traditional family. I also think that we fail to educate them about the benefits of remaining in care, the safety net that can be provided. My summer experiences taught me that these youth are often short changed. Everyone seems to work faster and harder for a younger child but there seems to be a lack of effort when the child is older and hardened by his or her life experiences.

I was able to be sworn in under the Third Year Practice Act this summer. This was truly exciting for me. I was able to handle a petition to modify custody, a probable cause hearing, a final disposition and several probable cause hearings. These experiences led me to realize that I enjoy being in the courtroom representing children's interests. It was an exhilarating experience to interview clients, attend pretrial conferences, speak to judges and be included in the process as an advocate for the child and not just as an intern. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to make such an impact in the lives of my clients.

Another part of my summer experience was conducting client interviews and home visits. It was truly a challenge for me to make sure that I was conducting the interviews in a developmentally appropriate manner and not projecting my values and desires on my clients. Seeing my clients in their homes added such depth to the information I was given. I think that child advocates have to be very conscious of the fact that the case file does not contain all there is to know about a client or that client's background. I had this realization several times during interviews. And more than once I realized that some fact was different than what the file I contained represented. It was during my client interviews that I was able to learn what would best serve my clients. I think that sometimes there is a rush to just provide a child and a family with a standard, cookie cutter case plan and by asking my clients what they wanted I was often able to ask the department for a plan or placement that was better tailored to suiting their needs.

My summer experiences also allowed me to learn what is meant by the term Counselor. There were a couple of cases I handled this summer where I felt like either my client did not understand the effects of what they were asking for or that they did not understand the purpose of the pending proceeding. I felt like it truly made a difference to be able to offer honest, candid advice. I had several clients and families that really viewed the Department of Family and Children Services as an enemy that had broken up their families and in those situations I really tried to get them to focus on the present situation and how they could benefit from some of the services being offered by the Department of Family and Children Services.

In addition to court observations, I was able to observe several judicial citizen panel reviews. I think the purpose and goals of the panel process are laudable. I think the panels give every interested party a voice in the matter. Having panel review and recommendations goes a long way toward making sure a child remains in care no longer than absolutely necessary.

My internship experience has strengthened my desire to pursue a career path that allows me to advocate for children in the care and control of the Department of Family and Children Services either as a Child Advocate or a SAAG. My experiences as an ESCAP summer intern have helped me find my niche. These children belong to each of us and we are all responsible for their lives. I would like to help those who have no voice find their voice and have a strong family network to support them because that is what each and every child desires and deserves.