Raising the Bar-A Conference for Idaho’s Child Protection Community: Strengthening Advocacy, Collaboration, and Outcomes for Children in Foster Care

Sponsored by the Idaho State Bar Child Protection Section, Center for the Rights of Abused Children and the Idaho Courts with an Idaho Court Improvement Grant

Length Approx: 7.5 hrs

7.5 CLE credits including 1.75 Ethics – NAC Approved

Registration Cost: $100.00

If you are a members of the Child Protection Section please email idahostatebar@isb.idaho.gov to receive a coupon code to watch this CLE for FREE.

Program

Opening Plenary - Raising Voices, Raising Standards: Five Strategies that Make a Difference Speaker: Angela Orkin, Jim Walsh, and John Walsh, True North Child Advocates

How do you transform a child welfare system? One case at a time. Join the hosts of The Children’s Law Podcast to learn how their practice philosophy can be used to reduce the time children spend in care, while maintaining excellent outcomes for children and families. This session will focus on the 5 key strategies they use to change the practice and culture of child welfare systems. Whether you are an advocate for children or parents, a lawyer or judge, or anyone working for or with the agency, these strategies can be used to make an immediate impact on the children and families you serve.

Everyday Ethics in Child Welfare Representation: Navigating Conflicts, Capacity, and Confidentiality Speaker: Jennifer Renne, ABA’s Center for Legal and Judicial Innovation and Advancement

This session will explore the challenging ethical issues that play out in unique ways for attorneys representing children, parents, and child welfare agencies. We will cover topics such as confidentiality, representing clients with diminished capacity, interactions with represented and unrepresented parties, conflicts of interest, and who makes decisions when your client is a government agency. Through a series of hypothetical case scenarios, we will examine how the Idaho Rules of Professional Conduct apply, as we engage in active debate on handling the difficult issues that arise day-to-day. The session will help attorneys develop an increased awareness of how ethical issues can shape representation, resulting in better decision-making and advocacy in the face of ethical dilemmas.

Constitutional Rights of Children in Foster Care Speaker: Tim Keller, Center for the Rights of Abused Children

Children in foster care have enforceable constitutional rights to safety, family integrity, and permanency. This session translates those principles into practice for attorneys, judges, GALs, CASAs, social workers, and advocates alike.

Kinship, Siblings, and Stability Speaker: Tom Jose, Center for the Rights of Abused Children & Lily Colby, National Network for Sibling Connections

Exploring the critical importance of kinship placements and sibling bonds for children in care. How do we identify and support kinship caregivers, maintain sibling relationships, and reduce unnecessary disruptions? Practical strategies for judges, DCS, GALs, and CASAs.

Supporting Older Youth: Transitions, Mental Health, and Self-Determination Speaker: Tom Rawlings, Chalmers, Adams, Backer & Kaufman, LLC

When child protection authorities remove a child from his or her family to foster care, they take on the responsibility to preserve that child's right to an open future.  For children who age out of foster care or whose time in care may have created setbacks on their path to that future, state and federal governments are increasingly investing in supportive services designed to help them bridge that gap.  We will discuss the benefits of and need for services such as independent living programs, expanded educational support, apprenticeships, and mentorships as well as steps that are being taken to provide and pay for those programs.

Raising the Bar Together
     Panelists:

               Hon. Anson L. Call, 6^th District Magistrate Judge

               Hon. Paige M. Nolta, 2^nd District Magistrate Judge

               Hon. Courtnie R. Tucker, 3^rd District Magistrate Judge

               Rep. Melissa Egbert, Idaho House of Representatives

               Jessalyn R. Hopkin, Idaho State Public Defender’s Office – Bannock Office

               John T. Spalding, Office of the Idaho Attorney General - Idaho Department of Health & Welfare

               Jean M. Fisher, Idaho Department of Health & Welfare

               Jenny Easley, CASA of Southwest Idaho

How Idaho can strengthen child protection by improving collaboration, respecting children’s rights, supporting families, and creating a system that works better for kids.