The mission of HYLA Child Custody & Adoption Pro Bono Project, like its ABA namesake, is to place the best interests of children at the center and build public confidence in a just and fair court system working to promote those “best interests”.

Take part in the ongoing effort between HYLA Child Custody & Adoption Pro Bono Project committee and the Houston-area organizations providing representation to children as Amicus Attorneys in difficult custody cases and as Guardians ad Litem in C.P.S. cases: AdvoCourt for Kids & Child Advocates, Inc.

UPCOMING EVENTS: "Handling C.P.S. Cases" (Oct. 28th)* & Child Advocates Information (TBA)*

*Both events previously scheduled for 9/16 and 9/25 respectively had to be rescheduled due to Hurricane Ike.

Speakers Include: Judge Mike Schneider (315^th District Court) & Dr Karen Gollaher

*NOTE: Event includes a Book Give-Away (Child Advocates' book "Just for Now"). In 2006, Child Advocates printed a 6-color, 48 page, fully-illustrated, hardcover children’s book titled, Just For Now: Kids and the People of the Court. Along with the book, Child Advocates also created a free online User’s Guide, which provides practical uses and ways in which the user can make the book as helpful as possible. The book answers questions like: What is CPS? What’s a court appointed special advocate? What is a judge? Why do I need a lawyer? What’s a foster parent? How long will I be here? When can I go home? Will I have to go to court? Is my mommy in trouble? The main goal of the book is to help court appointed volunteers communicate with children ages 6-12 that are in CPS custody and/or foster care. The book tells the story of Gilbert and Rachel, who are removed from their home by CPS and are placed in foster care. In the course of the story, they meet a CPS caseworker, foster parents, foster siblings, an attorney ad litem, a psychologist, a judge, a pet dog and their court appointed advocate volunteer.

HYLA Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project supports the AdvoCourt for Kids' bi-annual Amicus Attorney Training (17.0 hrs. MCLE/1.50 hrs. Ethics). Family law experience is NOT required. Food and beverages provided. FALL 2008 training sessions will be held at the South Texas College of Law (1303 San Jacinto St., 77002). Different relevant topics will be covered on each night of training. For information on the complete 17-hour training, please email advocourt@msn.com.

AdvoCourt for Kids is the liaison working with the family court judges in Harris County to get the appointments for volunteer attorneys. HYLA co-hosts training nights during the Advocourt Amicus Attorney Training [held every fall and spring] and helps recruit/send notices of available case activity to HYLA volunteers. (AdvoCourt anticipates having about 60 cases pending on a continuing basis).

An attorney can choose how much a case to tackle. After completing the initial training, the lawyers wanting to take the next step and volunteer on a case will register at the Amicus Attorney Training with AdvoCourt and agree to accept one pro bono child case per year. [Note: If an attorney's time is limited and an entire case is not feasible, the attorney will have the option of completing contributing tasks for at least two cases per year. Contributing tasks might include accompanying another attorney as they conduct a home visit on a case.]

Volunteer appointments through AdvoCourt include serving as advocates for children or their interests in any case where temporary or permanent legal custody, physical custody, parenting plans, parenting time, access, or visitation are adjudicated, including but not limited to divorce, parentage, domestic violence, contested adoptions, and contested private guardianship cases.

ABA Fund for Justice and Education to HYLA Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project.

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I wish I would have known how much of an impact serving as a Child Advocate was going to have on me. If I had known, I would have volunteered sooner. The children that I have had the wonderful fortune of serving have made a lasting impact on me as a husband, father, and man. The children that cross our path in our work as court appointed volunteers are victims of their parents' poor choices. Once removed from their parents, some of these children become part of a social service system that is overburdened and a court system that is unfamiliar and sometimes complicated. As Child Advocates, we are the voice for abused and neglected children that are unable to protect or speak for themselves. As an impartial third party, we have the unique opportunity to make recommendations that are in the children's best interest and to positively influence aspects of these childrens' lives.

Making the commitment to Houston’s children has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The mission of Child Advocates is to break the vicious cycle of child abuse and guide these children into safe environments where they can thrive. I am thankful that I am in a situation to help Houston’s abused children and do my part to break the cycle of abuse. I encourage everyone to become a Child Advocate and to make an impact in the lives of Houston's abused and neglected children.

For more information on volunteering with Child Advocates, please visit www.childadvocates.org.

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RECENT COMMITTEE EVENTS:

"Representing the Child: Handling CPS Cases"

EVENT DATE: April 25, 2008

EVENT TIME: 12-1:30 PM

EVENT LOCATION: University of Houston Law Center, Heritage Room

SPONSORING HOSTS: Houston Young Lawyers Association, Child Advocates, Inc., & University of Houston Law Center-Center on Children, Law & Policy

Event is open to all area attorneys & (3L) law students. There is no charge for this event. Lunch was provided.

OBJECTIVE & PURPOSE: This free training is designed for pro bono attorneys and law students representing children as Amicus Attorney and Guardians ad Litem in child abuse & neglect proceedings. The purpose of the training is to guide an amicus attorney representing an abused/neglected child through the process of a Child Protective Services case. Speakers include a panel of experienced attorneys in this field and the Honorable Mike Schneider (315th District Court).

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YEAR-END REPORT: HYLA Child Custody & Adoption Pro Bono Project 2007-2008

For five days in September 2007 with a repeat performance in February 2008, HYLA and AdvoCourt for Kids hosted training events respectively at the University of Houston Law Center and South Texas College of Law. The purpose of the two 17-hour CLE events (free for attendees) was to train attorneys and 3L law students to serve as pro bono amicus attorneys in difficult child custody cases.

The Child Custody Amicus Attorney [CCAA] training series was made possible due to grants received by AdvoCourt and HYLA respectively from the ABA Child Custody Pro Bono Project and the Texas Young Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division through a subgrant from the ABA Fund for Justice and Education.

The ultimate goal for the HYLA Child Custody & Adoption Pro Bono Project committee is expanding the pro bono work for children in the Greater Houston area. The 66 attendees completing the two CCAA trainings are given the chance to assist in a case with AdvoCourt for Kids. AdvoCourt is a 501(c)(3) organization created for the purpose of providing volunteer advocates to assist the Courts in determining the best interests of indigent children involved in Family Court procedures in the Houston area.

The mission of the HYLA committee, like its ABA namesake, is to place the best interests of children at the center and build public confidence in a just and fair court system working to promote those “best interests”. HYLA will continue assisting AdvoCourt for Kids with their trainings, but the efforts of the HYLA Child Custody & Adoption Pro Bono Project committee also include projects with other child-oriented non-profit organizations, such as Child Advocates. Through their core program, the Court Services Program, Child Advocates, Inc. recruits, trains, and supervises community volunteers to serve as guardians ad litem, also known as court appointed volunteers, for abused and neglected children.

On April 25th at the University of Houston Law Center, HYLA co-hosted with Child Advocates and the UH Law Center’s Center for Children, Law & Policy an advanced CLE luncheon on the topic of Handling CPS Cases (1.25 hrs). The program guided an amicus attorney representing an abused/neglected child through the process of a Child Protective Services [CPS] case. Speakers included a panel of five experienced attorneys in this field and the Honorable Mike Schneider (315^th District Court).

In 2006, Child Advocates printed a 6-color, 48 page, fully-illustrated, hardcover children’s book titled, Just For Now: Kids and the People of the Court. Along with the book, Child Advocates also created a free online User’s Guide, which provides practical uses and ways in which the user can make the book as helpful as possible. The book answers questions like: What is CPS? What’s a court appointed special advocate? What is a judge? Why do I need a lawyer? What’s a foster parent? How long will I be here? When can I go home? Will I have to go to court? Is my mommy in trouble?

The main goal of the book is to help court appointed volunteers communicate with children ages 6-12 that are in CPS custody and/or foster care. The book tells the story of Gilbert and Rachel, who are removed from their home by CPS and are placed in foster care. In the course of the story, they meet a CPS caseworker, foster parents, foster siblings, an attorney ad litem, a psychologist, a judge, a pet dog and their court appointed advocate volunteer.

Collaborations for this HYLA committee with Child Advocates include a book-signing event at an upcoming HYLA Final Thursday in 2008 for Just For Now: Kids and the People of the Court. The goal for the book signing is to distribute at least 350 complimentary copies of the book exclusively to HYLA members and HYLA CCAA trainees (to share with impacted clients’ children). [Funding for the complimentary books is currently being sought.]

In Harris County right now, there are 4,714 infants and children are in foster care because of life-threatening abuse and neglect. This staggering statistic places Harris County first in the state of Texas for the number of children in protective custody – a tragic and unfortunate distinction.

When children in Harris County are removed from their home due to life-threatening abuse or neglect, they are taken into custody by the state. They are immediately placed in foster care, where they begin the seemingly endless process of meeting one stranger after another. Often times, the children we serve are frightened and confused, and the book by Child Advocates serves as a useful communication tool in combating their fears and uncertainty.

For additional information on the HYLA Child Custody & Adoption Pro Bono Project committee or any of its current events, please contact Wendy Miller at wendymiller@comcast.net.

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POST-EVENT Press Release

(printed-HYLA’s newsletter, Pocket Parts, in November 2007 issue):

For five days in September, HYLA and AdvoCourt for Kids hosted an event at the University of Houston Law Center training attorneys and law students to serve as amicus attorneys in child custody cases. The training was possible due to grants received by HYLA and AdvoCourt respectively from the ABA Child Custody Pro Bono Project and the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division through a subgrant from the ABA Fund for Justice and Education. Forty-one area attorneys and law students took advantage of the free training – earning MCLE credit for 16 hours and 1.50 Ethics hours.

The training is designed for pro bono attorneys and law students representing children as Amicus Attorneys in child custody proceedings. It specifically provides an overview of the important representation topics for representing children in contested custody determinations, especially the unique elements in interviewing and representing a child client. The chosen agenda topics include orienting attendees with both the American Bar Association Standards of Practice for Lawyers Representing Children in Custody Cases and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws’ “Uniform Representation of Children in Abuse and Neglect and Custody Proceedings Act.”

There is a gap in the availability of legal representation for children in private custody matters – and this training will hopefully help fill that gap. In the past couple of years, two of the main programs providing pro bono attorneys in this area of law in Harris County closed their doors. Children’s Friend in Court and Children’s Legal Services of Houston are no longer a part of the legal landscape in Houston. AdvoCourt for Kids with the help of HYLA provides a much-needed service for local children caught in the web of private custody matters.

The ultimate goal for HYLA and AdvoCourt is expanding the pro bono work for children in the Greater Houston area. Attendees completing the training are given the chance to assist in a case with AdvoCourt for Kids. AdvoCourt is a 501©(3) organization created for the purpose of providing volunteer advocates to assist the Courts in determining the best interests of indigent children involved in Family Court procedures in the Houston area. Volunteers must complete the full training before receiving court appointments through AdvoCourt

The training in September is the first of two trainings to be held in Houston this bar year. There will also be a spring training offered by HYLA and AdvoCourt for Kids in February 2008 at the South Texas College of Law (17.0 hr/1.50 Ethics MCLE pending). The spring training is free for area attorneys and law students due in part to an extraordinary grant to HYLA from the Texas Young Lawyers Association!