POSTED JULY 7, 2017
CLC Gets Funded to Start New Pro Se Clinic In Kentucky
Children's Law Center has been granted generous funding from the Kentucky Bar Foundation to start a Pro Se Custody Clinic in Campbell County and Jessamine County. At each clinic, participants will be provided with all legal documents required for a child custody action filing. Pro Bono attorneys will provide an overview of the child custody process, answer questions, and offer procedural advice. Law students will assist participants with completing and filing the legal documents. We are very excited about this new project. Thank you to the KBF for making it possible!
posted on MAY 15, 2017
Request for Rule Change
The Children’s Law Center, Ohio ACLU and the Office of the Ohio Public Defender today filed a request with the Supreme Court of Ohio to strengthen the right to counsel provisions within Juvenile Rule 3 and limit the number of youth who waive the right to counsel. The request would require that all youth be appointed counsel at the earliest stage possible, and ensure that youth do not waive this right without having consulted with counsel first. “No child should navigate the juvenile delinquency system without the benefit of counsel, regardless of where they live or the nature of the charge. Ohio courts have come a long way in ensuring this happens, but this proposed rule levels the playing field for all kids,” said Kim Tandy, executive director of the Children’s Law Center.
The letter comes on the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in In re Gault, which sets forth the principle that children have a constitutional right to counsel. This decision paved the way for children to have critical rights in juvenile court. But, in some jurisdictions in the U.S., children still appear in court without an attorney. And that includes Ohio. For a copy of the request and accompanying documents, click the links below:
posted on MARCH 10, 2017
CLC Board Names New Executive Director
The Children’s Law Center (CLC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce it has chosen Acena Beck to be the executive director and leader of the organization.
Beck, the current deputy director, will assume the duties and responsibilities of executive director on July 1, 2017. She takes over for Kim Brooks Tandy, who founded the Covington-based legal-services center for children and youth in 1989. Tandy is stepping down June 30, 2017.
“I look forward to the next few months I will be remaining at CLC as its executive director, but I also very much look forward to passing the baton to Acena,” said Tandy, who has served as executive director for 28 years. “I have full confidence that she will lead us into the future with the same enthusiasm, insight and leadership we have already witnessed.”
Read the full press release here.
posted on JANUARY 10, 2017
Children's Law Center Releases Report Regarding School Based Restraint and Seclusion
A report released today by the Children’s Law Center (CLC), Inc., regarding the use of restraint and seclusion in Kentucky’s schools was presented to the Kentucky Juvenile Justice Oversight Council (JJOC) in Frankfort.
Schools should be a safe, secure place for all children. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) data shows that Kentucky school children were restrained 5,985 times during the 2014-15 school year. Using restraint and seclusion on children in Kentucky schools is often unnecessary, and can be harmful, the report noted, recommending that the use of such techniques should be more limited and better documented. That includes more accountability for school resource officers as well.
Read the full Press Release here.
posted on NOVEMBER 30, 2016
Executive Director Kim Tandy Announces Transition
Kim Tandy, the founder and long-time director of the Children's Law Center in Covington, said today she is stepping down from her leadership role in June of 2017 to explore other opportunities. Tandy, who started the CLC in 1989, remains passionate about advocating for children. She is open to remaining at the Center in a more limited capacity for special projects or to assist in its litigation efforts. To read the full press release, click here. A search committee has been formed. The Executive Director profile and instructions for applying are posted - click here.