On Tuesday, our Social Work Supervisor Laurie Ayler testified in a PA House Children & Youth Committee informational hearing in support of HB2617, a bill that will protect access to critical benefits for foster youth in Pennsylvania. Read the full transcript of her testimony on our website: https://lnkd.in/eAbeZFEn
Support Center for Child Advocates
Legal Services
Philadelphia, PA 2,116 followers
Through legal and social services, we strive to secure a permanent and nurturing environment for every child.
About us
The Support Center for Child Advocates is the nation’s oldest and largest program dedicated exclusively to providing pro bono legal services for children in crisis. We team volunteer attorneys with staff social workers and consulting lawyers to coordinate legal and social service advocacy for child victims of abuse and neglect in Philadelphia. Our goal is to secure a permanent and nurturing environment for every child. Do you want to become a volunteer attorney or support our work in other ways? Visit www.sccalaw.org to learn more.
- Website
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http://www.sccalaw.org
External link for Support Center for Child Advocates
- Industry
- Legal Services
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Philadelphia, PA
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Specialties
- Social Services, Legal Services, Pro Bono Attorneys, and Child Advocacy
Locations
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Primary
1617 JFK Boulevard
Suite 1200
Philadelphia, PA 19103, US
Employees at Support Center for Child Advocates
Updates
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Happening now! Tune in to see Social Work Supervisor Laurie Ayler testify in support of HB2617.
Child Advocates Social Work Supervisor Laurie Ayler will be appearing in front of the PA House Children & Youth Committee to testify in support of HB2617, a bill that will protect access to benefits for foster children in PA. Tune in live at 9:00 am on Tuesday, 10/8 at https://lnkd.in/e5mjHA8a
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Support Center for Child Advocates reposted this
Director of Intake and Pro Bono at Support Center for Child Advocates and Adjunct Professor of Law at Villanova Charles Widger School of Law
Join us for a happy hour and our 2nd Annual Pro Bono Story Slam, part of the National Celebration of Pro Bono, on October 23rd from 5:30 – 7:00 pm! Mingle with judges, attorneys, and non-attorneys across the Philadelphia legal community, and hear inspiring stories of working with pro bono clients. Interested in sharing your pro bono story? You’ll have an opportunity to share it at the event. Stories should be your own personal pro bono experience, shared without notes, and no more than 5 minutes in length. Please RSVP here by October 21 if you plan to attend; names are needed for security check-in. There is no cost to attend. The event will be held at Ballard Spahr LLP, BNY Mellon Building, 1735 Market Street, 48th Floor. This event is generously hosted by Ballard Spahr LLP and coordinated by the Law Firm Pro Bono Subcommittee and the Pro Bono Subcommittee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Light refreshments will be served. Please contact Kelly Gastley ([email protected]) with any questions.
Pro Bono Story Slam
philadelphiabar.org
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Child Advocates Social Work Supervisor Laurie Ayler will be appearing in front of the PA House Children & Youth Committee to testify in support of HB2617, a bill that will protect access to benefits for foster children in PA. Tune in live at 9:00 am on Tuesday, 10/8 at https://lnkd.in/e5mjHA8a
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The Kids at Court Conference attendees had an opportunity to practice new strategies and participate in small group discussion during yesterday's breakout sessions. Thank you to our excellent breakout room speakers! We are especially thankful to collaborate with individuals with lived experience and local speakers to Allegheny County. Our breakout rooms included: - Trauma Sensitive Youth Engagement Through the Life of a Case with Kara Dempsey, JD, MSW, Director of the Youth Advocacy Clinic (YAC) at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University and Dr. Tammy L. Hughes, PHD, Fr. Martin A, Hehir Endowed Chair for Scholarly Excellence, Professor and Chair, Department of Counseling, Psychology and Special Education, School of Education. - Preparing the Child Witness with Susan Abramowich, Esq., Judicial Hearing Officer, Juvenile Division, Allegheny County and The Honorable Jennifer S. McCrady, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas - Using Experts and Motions to Strengthen the Case and Support the Child with Erin O'Brien, Esq., First Assistant District Attorney, Chester County District Attorney’s Office - In the Courtroom and On the Stand with Jennifer DiGiovanni, Esq., Deputy District Attorney, Allegheny County District Attorney's Office and Brenda Harkavy, Esq., Trial Attorney, Raynes & Lawn - The Attorney and Secondary Traumatic Stress with Meghan Johnson, MPH; Program Director, Center for Excellence in Advocacy, Support Center for Child Advocates, Katherine Norton, Esq., Co-Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship, Director of Clinical and International Programs, Director of the Family Law Clinic, Assistant Professor of Law, Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, and Sandra Simkins Esq., Interim Dean of Students, Rutgers Law School. -The Attorney and Systems Change with Tamara Wilson (she/her/hers), Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Chester County Program Manager, CASA Youth Advocates, Inc. serving Delaware and Chester Counties and Patricia Curley, Youth Voices Council Founding Member
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Jane Kim, Esq., Mission Kids Program Director and former Child Advocates' attorney, and Clara Rincon Roberti, MSW,LSW, the lead Forensic Interviewer at UPMC Child Advocacy Center of Central Pennsylvania, finish off the morning sessions of the Kids at Court Conference in this presentation on Applying Principles of Forensic Interviewing to Lawyers’ Interactions with Children. Jane and Clara draw on their respective legal and forensic interview experience to instruct attorneys on how to implement the essential elements of Forensic Interviewing into their interactions with children. Jane and Clara have presented at all four Kids at Court Conferences, and we deeply value their collaboration and investment in this project!
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Thank you to Stacy Johnson MSW, JD, Board Chair, FosterStrong, and April Lee, Director of Programs, Philly Voice for Change for sharing their experiences in our panel discussion about Trauma Aware Collaborative Practice. Our panelists discussed how the court process and system involvement is experienced as traumatic by children and families, and how the language we use to describe children and families can perpetuates biases and issues within the system. Sydney Groll, Esq., Staff Attorney, Support Center for Child Advocates, moderated this fantastic panel.
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Sarah Katz opens our conference with a session on Trauma-Informed Lawyering. Sarah is a professor at Temple University Beasly School of Law, a Stoneleigh Fellow, and a leading expert on applying information about trauma to legal practice. Sarah has presented at all four Kids at Court Conferences. We are so grateful for her expertise!
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Today is our final Kids at Court Conference! We are so grateful to host our last session at Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University. Thank you to the Honorable Jennifer McCrady, Allegheny Court of Common Pleas, for welcoming the audience. Let’s kick off the day!
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We closed out an exciting day of learning at the Kids at Court Conference last week with a dynamic panel featuring several advocates with lived experience, including, Constance Iannetta, Executive Director, FosterStrong; Stacy Johnson, Board Chair, FosterStrong; and April Lee, Director of Programs for Philly Voice for Change, who discussed how to support the child, family and yourself after court. Thank you to all our incredible conference faculty for making it such an informative day & thank you to our attendees! We loved interacting with you and hope you had a great time. Lastly, thank you to Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law for hosting our conference. The Kids at Court Conference in Pittsburgh is tomorrow (9/20)….stay tuned!