Florida’s Legal Online Resource, Information Driven Access – F4CF is a resource for all attorneys and judges who work in the child welfare and juvenile delinquency arenas. Any lawyer or judge who registers can use this online network, for free. F4CF will create an instant community of lawyers who are focused on child welfare, juvenile […]

THE KIDS AREN’T ALRIGHT: EVERY CHILD SHOULD HAVE AN ATTORNEY IN CHILD WELFARE PRO-CEEDINGS IN FLORIDA

To fully appreciate the impetus for creating the Regis Little Subcommittee of the Legal Needs of Children Committee of The Florida Bar, you have to know the story about its namesake. A foster child who had recently “aged out of the system,” Regis Little was 18 when he was found stabbed to death in a […]

This article was originally published in The Florida Bar Journal Volume 86, number 5, May 2012 and is reprinted with permission of The Florida Bar.

by Adolfo Pesquera, DBR. A cross-section of judges and attorneys concerned about the lack of legal representation for children in dependency court gathered at Nova Southeastern University to discuss how the state might improve its record. Florida is one of 17 states that provides little to no representation for children who have been removed from […]

This report examines how Florida’s system of child representation evolved, which children are supposed to get representation today, and which communities provide counsel to children. It also provides a list of the programs that provide counsel for children in each judicial circuit and shows what percentage of children in each community potentially have access to […]

The Florida Kinship Center empowers, served and advocates for kinship caregivers and their families.

September 22, 2011 FCF coordinated and facilitated a CLE presentation for the Florida Bar Legal Needs of Children.   Three hours of ethics CLE are now available on the web at: http://centervideo.forest.usf.edu/legethics/legethics.html

Many young people are discouraged about adoption because they think they’ve missed the change to connect with forever family. But it’s never too late! This brochure explains the Florida law on adult adoptions. The separate appendix provides the documents and forms for adult adoptions.

The mission of the Center on Children and Families is to promote the highest quality of advocacy, teaching and scholarship in the areas of child & family law and policy.

Florida Practice Guidelines for Lawyers Who Represent Children in Abuse and Neglect Case

Two day training and conference for all Children’s Legal Services grantees of The Florida Bar Foundation. Orlando, September 15-16.

Inspired by Florida Youth SHINE, the Dept. of Children and Families issued this publication to inform children and youth of their rights while in state care or shelter care.

This Guide for Judges, Lawyers, and Child Advocates provides critical information on immigration issues faced by children who were abused, abandoned, or neglected. Written by Wendi J. Adelson in collaboration with the Immigrant Children’s Legal Services Partnership and the Children and Youth Law Clinic of the University of Miami School of Law. June 2010. Click […]

This Report shares the results of a survey of local, state and national policies concerning the shackling of juvenile offenders. Produced by the Center on Children and Families at the University of Florida Levin College of Law

This publication is intended to help youth understand the dependency court system. It answers youth’s most common questions about being placed into state care, describes all of the pertinent players, defines key terms and discusses the types of hearings that take place in dependency court. By the ABA Bar Youth Empowerment Project with Florida’s Children First. 2008

This rule governs the conduct of attorneys who represent children.

The Florida Guardian ad Litem State Association is a Non-Profit organization, whose mission is to improve the lives of abused and neglected children in Florida, by promoting the development, expansion and improvement of Guardian ad Litem Programs statewide.

CASA is an acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocate. CASA was created to use trained community volunteers to speak for the best interests of these children in court. Today more than 900 CASA programs are in operation, with 70,000 women and men serving as CASA volunteers.

The National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) is a non-profit child advocacy and professional membership association dedicated to representation and protection of children in the legal system. The NACC provides training and technical assistance to child advocates and works to improve the child welfare, juvenile justice and private custody systems. NACC membership is comprised primarily of attorneys and judges, although the fields of medicine, social work, mental health, education, and law enforcement are also represented.

The Center’s mission is to improve the quality of life for children through advancements in law, justice, and public policy.

The Bulletin examines access to legal counsel in the juvenile justice system. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) written by Judith B. Jones, M.A., Spec. H.S.A. (June 2004)