NY Times Best-Selling Author Will Be Featured Speaker At AOA 2024!
We’re excited to announce author Andrew Bridge will be a featured speaker at Art of Advocacy 2024!
Andrew Bridge spent 11 years in Los Angeles County foster care. After aging out, he attended Wesleyan University, then graduated from Harvard Law School and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship. He began his legal career representing children against the State of Alabama, where his work resulted in the closure of one of the country’s most notorious psychiatric institutions, the Eufaula Adolescent Center.
Returning to LA, he became CEO of The Alliance for Children’s Rights, representing children in the foster care system where he grew up. As Chair of Los Angeles County’s Blue Ribbon Task Force, he called for an end to the disproportionate removal of Black babies from their mothers.
His memoir Hope’s Boy was a New York Times bestseller and Washington Post Best Book of the Year. His second book about that fight against Alabama, The Child Catcher, is out now. He will be signing copies at the event.
Be sure to join us October 24 at UCLA to hear from this dynamic speaker.
Big Win: All Five CLC Sponsored Bills Signed By Governor!
We’re ending the month with big news! CLC is proud to announce that all five of our sponsored pieces of legislation have been signed by Governor Gavin Newsom!
This has been an outstanding legislative season. The success of these bills is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and our commitment to driving positive change in California’s child welfare system. We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who supported these initiatives, including the dedicated authors, our co-sponsors, and stakeholders.
Here’s a brief overview of each bill:
- AB 866 Medically Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (ASM Blanca Rubio) guarantees timely access to medication-assisted treatment for older youth in the foster care system suffering from opioid use disorder. AB 866 will address the opioid crisis among foster youth by making effective, life-saving strategies equally accessible to youth in foster care.
- AB 2664 Family Reunification Timelines (ASM Isaac Bryan) provides families with child welfare cases a fair opportunity to reunify. AB 2664 will prevent counties from prematurely terminating a parent’s right to reunify with their child by clarifying that the timeline does not start until reunification services are actually ordered.
- AB 2906 Preserving Benefits for Foster Youth (ASM Isaac Bryan) requires counties to conserve Social Security survivors’ benefits received by a youth in foster care for that youth’s current and future needs, rather than using those benefits to pay for the cost of the child’s foster care placement. With AB 2906 California will join a national movement of states ending the archaic practice of recouping the costs of a child’s time in foster care through collecting their survivor’s benefits.
- AB 2929 Advancing Foster Youth Family Finding Efforts (ASM Juan Carrillo) ensures all parties involved in a child welfare case (attorneys, judicial officers) will have the information necessary to facilitate meaningful and ongoing connections between the youth and their family. AB 2929 serves as a testament to CA’s commitment to advancing the well-being of our foster youth by promoting important and stable family connections.
- SB 1197 In-Home Respite Services (SEN Alvarado-Gil) will improve access to critical developmental services for vulnerable children and youth in the foster care system. SB 1197 will further California’s goal of providing coordinated, timely, and trauma-informed services to youth served by both child welfare & Regional Center.
CLC Honored With “Superhero” Award!
Thank you Children’s Advocacy Center for honoring CLC at the 2024 “Be a Hero for Children” Gala. CLC was recognized for our dedication to empowering children and the impact we’ve had in the community, state, and nation. Because of the efforts of our dedicated staff, CLC was named a “Superhero” for child victims of crime.
CLC Executive Director Leslie Heimov accepted the award and thanked the organization for the honor of being recognized. Staff had the pleasure of being in great company of so many champions for children. Congratulations to our fellow honorees and to CAC for a beautiful event!
CLC Featured in KQED Article
CLC was quoted this month in a KQED article about Compton court Judge Price and the transformational way she handles cases involving children under 3 years old by intentionally putting their mental health at the center of decision-making.
Leslie Heimov shares when she began defending children 30 years ago, there was no process for ensuring that when a baby is removed from home, the parent shares information to the foster caregiver about the baby’s favorite lullaby, eating or sleeping routine.
“Because we’re in such an adversarial, high-stress and often law enforcement-involved situation, all the things that are good for babies and small children are out the window because there’s this focus on safety first, but safety to the exclusion of well-being,’ Heimov said.”
Read more about how CLC is dedicating additional financial resources to allow staff to maintain a low caseload in Price’s courtroom.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
CLC recognizes and celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month! The Latino presence in America spans centuries, predating Spain’s colonization of what is now part of the United States, and they have been an integral part of shaping our nation since the Revolutionary War. Latinos continue to help fuel our economy and enrich our nation as entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, entertainers, scientists, public servants, and much more.
We celebrate the heritage and traditions of every child we represent and advocate on their behalf to ensure they feel safe, appreciated and loved.
As child welfare professionals, CLC staff promote inclusivity by utilizing resources that promote cultural competency and responsiveness. Click below for more information.
Now Hiring: Youth Advisory Board Members
Help us find our new Youth Advisory Board Members!
CLC has a part-time/hourly paid opportunity available for former foster youth who were CLC clients to elevate youth voice and influence policies to improve outcomes for youth in child welfare.
Requirements include:
-Prior CLC client
-Participation in monthly virtual meetings
-Age 18-24
-CA resident
Know someone who should apply? Recommend the job and visit our Careers page for more information.