It was November of 2006, when the author was attending a guardianship conference in Ft. Lauderdale. The author attended as Prosperity Life Planning (www.prosperitylifeplanning.org) a small, educational nonprofit organization, through which he educates and advocates for parents through the special needs planning process with area attorneys, benefit…

Given the extent to which our society values education, it is perplexing to learn that we continue to struggle to provide all children, especially homeless children, an adequate education. This troubling issue is the focus of this paper. Specifically, this paper will center around two basic questions; 1) what has the legal system done to ensure…

The author reviews the history, current activities, and concerns of the Closer Look Information Center, parent information centers, and the Protection and Advocacy Network, finding that these have disseminated basic rights and specific information well, but now need to address problems requiring broad legal knowledge and sophisticated analysis.…

Reviewed are eleven desirable features of a citizen advocacy program for the mentally retarded, and considered are approaches to guardianship used in Sweden and California. (CL)

Team Child is designed to provide civil legal representation for very troubled delinquent youth to improve their access to needed education programs, mental health services, and family services. Better provision of these services is intended to reduce delinquency and potentially avoid the long-term incarceration of these youth. This article uses…

The Youth Law Center is a public interest law office whose primary activity has been the Juvenile Justice Legal Advocacy Project. The center has developed a specific procedure for investigating and negotiating juveniles justice problems which involves resolution through negotiation without resorting to litigation. Effective advocacy requires…

This article, excerpted from a study of the Massachusetts Committee on Children and Youth, explores ways to provide legal protection for drug-addicted infants, and co ncludes that there is a striking need for a central reporting system for all infants born to drug-addicted women. (CS)

Evaluated legal representation for children in child protection proceedings, using data from a random sample of cases and attorneys in North Carolina. Results showed the attorneys, in general, produced no significant benefits for the children. Based on results, identifies particular types of effective attorneys. (NRB)

The module applies advocacy skill instruction to the integration of severely handicapped students. The instructor's material is presented for four competencies (understanding the concept of advocacy, factors essential for effective advocating, developing effective advocacy skills, and recognizing elements crucial to implementing an integration…

Presented is a manual designed to aid social workers and other staff of institutions in dealing with problems of disabled Social Security Administration (SSA) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries who receive their benefits through representative payees. Information is provided about such topics as different types of benefits,…

In recent years numerous investigations into the situation of youth in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) have been conducted. All concur that the position of young people in West Germany has undergone a fundamental change in the last 25 years. In 1983 the Inquiry Commission of the German Federal Parliament studying "Protests of…

The paper examines the surrogate parent program at Forest Haven, the District of Columbia's institution for the mentally retarded. The program provides seven major services among which are its function as an advocate for educational, court, and other personal programing and as a monitor of the educational placement of clients. Problems in the…

Presents the text of a lecture that looks at the declaratory, procedural, and monitoring features of a Children Act that would encompass lessons from the past to enhance the future of Scottish children. Also discusses four major questions at the heart of child-centered legislation. (TJQ)

The Child Advocacy Unit (CAU) serves as a bridge between the legal and mental health professions in the representation of children. The CAU approach has sensitized both legal and mental health personnel to one another's disciplines. The most effective CAU is composed of a multidisciplinary team. (Author)

This booklet was prepared to assist planning and service agencies and personnel with evaluation and advocacy of programs and services for the developmentally disabled. Part 1 of the booklet deals with evaluation, part 2 with advocacy; discussed in both sections are such issues as the legislative mandate, the use of computerized systems, systems…