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Truancy Intervention Project
Name of Non-Profit Agency::
The Children's Law Center of CT, Inc.*
Contact::
Melissa Stachelek
Project Administrator
MelissaStachelek@tip-ct.org
860-832-8000
Why is this assistance important to these clients?:
High school drop-outs have a higher incidence of incarceration and are more likely to be life-long victims of poverty than their graduating peers. Educators report that the best predictor of whether a student will become a drop-out is their history of school attendance. Truancy is frequently an early warning signal of stress affecting their family, and also their first encounter with the judicial system. The Project matches middle school-aged students with attorney volunteers who provide early intervention before truancy-related problems become intractable.
Who are the clients?:
Middle school aged children who are experiencing problems with school attendance.
What legal problem do these clients face?:
Potential for filing of a Family With Services Needs petition.
What legal strategies do the pro bono lawyers use to assist the clients?:
Attorneys have three major roles:<br>1) Prioritizing the importance of education as a role model to and advocate for the child in matters related to or affecting school attendance.<br>2) Problem solver for the family assisting in identifying and utilizing community resources.<br>3) Representing the child in truancy and related proceedings.
If the pro bono attorney will be appearing for the client in what court or other forum is that appearance?:
Juvenile Court
What are the outcome goals of this assistance?:
Improvement in child's school attendance.
What time commitment is required to do this pro bono work?:
Weekly contact with the child totaling 3-4 hours or more per month, much of which will be outside normal work hours.
Where is the pro bono work done? (at a legal aid office at the pro bono attorneys office etc.)?:
Locations are determined by volunteer and child (with parental consent). For example: the library, the child's school / home.
Give a short (1-paragraph) case example::
Anna, age fourteen, had 17 unexcused absences when she entered the Truancy Project. As her attorney volunteer got to know Anna and her family, it was discovered that Anna was responsible for waking herself up in the morning for school. Certainly not an unreasonable responsibility for someone her age, but there was no alarm clock, no clock radio and no person in the morning at home to wake Anna on time. Anna’s volunteer decided to touch base with her every day in addition to their weekly time together. So every morning the volunteer called Anna at 7 a.m. (to wake her up) wished her a great day at school, and through brief discussion encouraged her to make good choices (i.e. to get to school on time), and reminded her to take her medication (for ADHD). The arrangement had a profound effect on the child’s attendance.
Does this pro bono work require full admission to practice in Connecticut?:
Yes
If no: How are those without full admission supervised to ensure avoidance of issues regarding unlicensed practice?:
The Truancy Intervention Project has experienced attorney volunteers who will supervise if the person is not fully admitted.
If it is important that a pro bono lawyer already have particular legal background or training please describe.:
The program is designed to be comfortable for attorneys who are not litigators, have little or no courtroom experience and are not seeking a volunteer experience in a courtroom setting.
What training is provided to pro bono lawyers doing this work?:
Training topics include special education law, understanding issues of culture and poverty, learning about community and state services available to clients and their families, and procedures in Family with Service Needs cases. In addition, non-compulsory supplemental training on such topics as mentoring and adolescent psychological development is offered. We also have experts in areas such as special education law, juvenile law, benefits law, and child protection, who serve as resources to our volunteers. Consultants are available to provide assistance with identifying available social service programs.
Who provides the training?:
Training is delivered by attorneys and other service providers who are designated as subject matter experts.
Where is the training held? How long does the training last?:
Training is on a Saturday at the CBA in New Britain. Training is for six hours.
At what time of day is the pro bono work done (evening clinic etc.)?:
The times are arranged through mutual agreement between the volunteer and the child.
Does this pro bono work require full admission to practice in Connecticut?:
Yes.
Can the training be attended remotely (webinar or teleconference)?:
Not as yet.
Category:
This organization is a member of the Connecticut Pro Bono Network.