32nd National Juvenile and Family Law Conference of the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC)

New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, NY
Engaging the Media to Effect Change and Promote Justice

• NCYL Senior Attorney Bill Grimm and NCYL Communications Director Tracy Schroth 

Energetic, interactive discussion between panelists and audience about how, when, and why to engage the media to effect change. Panelists will review the basic steps involved in developing a media strategy, including goals, audience, and messaging, and how participants can identify the news in their clients' stories. This workshop will also review the nuts and bolts of how to contact reporters, pitch stories, and do effective interviews. The goal is to supply audience members with some of the tools necessary to communicate their clients' stories/issues in a compelling way.

Braam Oversight Panel

Seattle, Washington (Specific Location TBA)

• NCYL Senior Attorneys Bill Grimm and Bryn Martyna

The role of the Braam Oversight Panel, in collaboration with Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services, is to oversee implementation of the settlement agreement to reform Washington’s foster care system. The settlement was reached in 2004. The named plaintiff, Jessica Braam, lived in 34 foster homes by the time the suit was filed in 1998.

Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (ICAN)

Sheraton Universal Hotel, Universal City, CA
Child Abuse Deaths in California: Lifting the Veil of Secrecy to Better Protect Children

• NCYL Senior Attorney Bill Grimm and NCYL Communications Director Tracy Schroth; Attorney Lydia Bodin, Office of the LA District Attorney

In California, until 2008, virtually all information about child fatalities was kept secret, in theory to protect the privacy of children, parents, and foster parents. In practice, however, the secrecy also insulated child protective services agencies (CPS) from the evaluation and oversight routine for most civil service agencies. In 2007, the California legislature enacted SB 39 to increase public access to information about the victims of fatal child abuse or neglect. This workshop looks at the law's implementation, and discusses the policy issues behind SB 39.

 
For more information on these or other NCYL trainings, please contact rgudeman(at)youthlaw.org