CAI Newsletter--Summer Wrap-Up

CAINewsletter~SummerWrap-Up

CAIINTHENEWS

NPR’sMorningEdition investigatesstateagency practicesoftakingfoster youthbenefits,featuring insightfromCAI’sNational PolicyAdvocate, Amy Harfeld.

CAISeniorStaffAttorney MelanieDelgadospoke withtheSanDiegoUnionTribuneaboutCalifornia’s AB1512

JessicaHeldman,FellmethPetersonAssociate ProfessorinChildRights, contributestoACSExpert Forumonchildlabor

CAI’sEdHoward,Senior PolicyAdvocate,quotedin CalMattersonCalifornia socialmediabillsto protectkidsonline

FollowCAIonSocialMedia

ADVOCACYHIGHLIGHTS

Children & Social Media

Since 2021, CAI has led efforts to protect children from the harms caused by social media platforms Although not enacted in California, CAI’s groundbreaking work on AB 2408 regarding social media addiction during California’s 20212022 legislative session led to similar bills introducedinotherstates,includingenactmentin UtahandapendingbillinNewJersey

This session, CAI is co-sponsoring AB 1394 (Wicks and Flora), which addresses the soaring rates of child sexual abuse and child sex trafficking online by holding social media platforms liable for knowingly contributing to these crimes and offering survivors a way to require platforms to remove images and videos showing them being abused AB 1394 passed in the California Legislature with broad support and is nowawaitingtheGovernor’ssignature

Showyoursupportforprotectingchildrenonlinebycontactingthe Governorathttps://wwwgovcagov/contact/andtellinghimtosignAB 1394intolaw!

LearnmoreaboutCAI’seffortstoprotectchildrenonlinehere

Protecting Foster Youth Benefits

For 15 years CAI has advocated to stop the practice of foster care agencies improperly intercepting foster youth’s federal benefits to reimburse themselves for the cost of care, rather thanusingthefundstobenefitthechild.

In 2021, an award-winning investigative series on this issue by NPR and the Marshall Project helped spark an unprecedented wave of reform at thenational,state,andlocallevels CAIprovidedtechnicalassistanceto support many of these efforts and, with the support of the Walter S Johnson Foundation, is leading a multidimensional campaign to eradicatethispracticenationwide.

In California, our team co-sponsored an ambitious and comprehensive bill, AB 1512 (Bryan), which passed the California Legislature and is awaiting the Governor’s signature Let the Governor know that you support ending the practice of taking foster youth’s benefits by contacting him at https://www,gov.ca.gov/contact/. Finally, along with attorneys from Sheppard Mullin, CAI filed a lawsuit on behalf of two sisters who lost their benefits while in the care of San Diego’s child welfaresystem

For more information and resources on this issue, visit CAI’s new campaignwebsite.

THENEXTGENERATIONOFCHILDADVOCATES

AWARDS

JamesA.D’AngeloOutstandingChildAdvocateAward

The James A D’Angelo Outstanding Child Advocate Award is presented each year to graduating USD Law students for their exceptional work in CAI’s Child Advocacy Clinic or for making other significant contributions to the field of child advocacy We are thrilled to have three recipients of the 2023 award: StellaGerson,MackenzieMcCoy,andJadwynParrish!

JoelandDeniseGoldenMeritAwardinChildAdvocacy

TheJoelandDeniseGoldenMeritAwardinChildAdvocacyispresentedannuallyto University of San Diego School of Law students who are already using their developing legal skills to help vulnerable populations of children and youth. Students are eligible for the award at the conclusion of their second year of law school.The2023recipientisKelseyCastanho,aparticipantandincomingPresident ofAdvocatesforChildreninEducation(ACE),astudentgroupthatprovidesspecial educationadvocacyforvulnerableyouthintheSanDiegoCountyJuvenileCourt

CAIGRADSATWORK

Jennifer Wilczynski '22 has been hired at CHILD USA, a leading think tank fighting for the civil rights of children. JenniferparticipatedinCAI’scourseofferingsandtwoof CAI’sexperientialclinics.

Ashley Thompson '22 has been hired by Dependency Legal Services of San Diego to advocate for parents in child welfare proceedings - a direct result of her participation with the organization through our Child AdvocacyDependencyClinic

Jadwyn Parrish '23 has been hired by Children's Law Center - the largest children's legal services organization in the nation - to represent children in Los Angeles's dependency system Jadwyn participated in all of CAI’s clinicsandcourseofferings!

Mackenzie McCoy '23 has been hired as a post-bar by Children'sLegalServicesofSanDiegotorepresentchildren in San Diego's child welfare system. Mackenzie participatedinCAI’scoursesanditsChildAdvocacyPolicy Clinic.

CAI is guided by the CAI Council for Children, an advisory body that meets regularly to review policy decisions and help CAI establish action priorities. Its members are respected professionals and communityleaderswhoshareavisiontoimprovethequalityoflifeforchildrenandyouth

WearethrilledtowelcometwonewmemberstotheCouncil:

TracySimmons SarahPauter

Tracy Simmons served as the Assistant Dean of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Diversity Initiatives at USD School of Law from 2022-2023, and recently joinedHowardUniversitySchoolofLawasAssociate DeanofAdmissionsandStudentAffairs

SimmonshasservedasaconsultantfortheCouncil on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) Achieving SuccessintheApplicationProcessprogramforover 13 years. She is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), serving as the Chair of the Pre-Legal Education and Admissions to Law School Section twice and as the Chair for the PartTime Section. She has also served on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) Consumer Information and Law Student InformationTaskForce.

Simmons has a background in social work and has servedontheBoardofDirectorsfortheSacramento Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) since 2014 She has a BA and MA from San Diego State UniversityinPsychologyandEducation,Multicultural Counseling, and earned her JD from Golden Gate UniversitySchoolofLaw

Pauter is currently a Senior Project Manager at John Burton Advocates for Youth, where she works to improvethecollegeretentionandgraduationratesof homeless and foster youth through legislative advocacy, policy implementation, technical assistance,andtraining Afterspending17yearsinthe child welfare system before ultimately emancipating or "aging out," Pauter earned a Bachelor’s in Social WorkfromSanDiegoStateUniversityandaMaster’sin Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University.Pauterhasdedicatedherlifeandcareerto improving outcomes for vulnerable children and youth.

Pauter is the Founder and CEO of Phenomenal Families, a San Diego-based nonprofit organization serving foster youth. Pauter also served as Program Director of the Family & Youth Roundtable, where she developed and enhanced public child-serving systems through policy formulation and implementation

Pauter is a former FosterClub California Youth Ambassador, Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council Member, and Co-Chair of the San Diego CountyChildren’sSystemofCareCouncil,andserved as a Trauma-Informed Systems Specialist with the Center on Child Welfare Trauma-Informed Policies, Programs,andPractices(TIPsCenter)