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From the Director

Children’s Law Center of Minnesota (CLC) is thrilled to report that, this summer, Governor Dayton created Minnesota’s first “Children’s Cabinet”.  This cabinet includes the Commissioners of the Departments of Education, Health, and Human Services. The cabinet’s purpose is to coordinate, across administrative departments, efforts to enhance the lives of Minnesota's children and to focus on the whole child. One major focus will be on the issue of racial disparities in Minnesota which cross sect all efforts in education, health, and welfare.

The Cabinet is still in its formative stages but the first matter it engaged together on was the preparations of Minnesota’s “Race to the Top” grant application to the Federal government which was filed in September. The plan is to engage in a lot of measurements across all sectors of child welfare and to regularly issue dash board reports on how government is doing on clearly identified goals.

CLC applauds the Governor’s efforts and looks forward to seeing more about the Cabinet’s goals in its goals statement in January 2012.

CLC Executive Director, Linda S. Foreman, Esq.

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Can you help CLC build a village?

They say it takes a village to raise a child.  But what if you are in foster care….who makes up a foster kid’s village?

YOU DO.

We are all part of our foster kids’ village and need to do our part to ensure these vulnerable youth have their basic needs met and are surrounded by people who care about what happens to them.  You can become a major part of that village by making a donation to Children’s Law Center of Minnesota.  Your donation is one way for you to help CLC continue to build stable villages around our youth.

HERE'S HOW GiveMN’s Give to the Max Day amplifies your giving:

• $1,000 will be given to a random donor’s charity every hour.  You could be that donor!
• $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000 prize grants will be awarded to the top three small nonprofit organizations – with budgets under $750,000 – which receive themost dollars on Give to the Max Day. CLC IS Registered to compete in this!!

Last year, more than 42,000 donors logged on to GiveMN.org and gave over $10 million to Minnesota charities in 24 hours during Give to the Max Day. Together, we have the power to raise millions of dollars for thousands of nonprofits. CHILDREN’S LAW CENTER OF MINNESOTA, with GiveMN.org, is working to create a stronger nonprofit community for Minnesota.

DANIELS'S STORY: Making “The System” Work

Daniel spent most of his childhood shuffling between shelters and his biological parent’s home. His parents were unable to care for him and his siblings. At times when Daniel had no one else, his aunt and uncle provided an unconditional support system. Daniel moved in with his aunt and uncle and found a wonderful, stable, permanent home there.  However, he liked to spend weekends visiting his parents and siblings and did not want to be adopted by anyone else. Read MORE
 

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: Suzanne Kvas

Congratulations to Suzanne Kvas, CLC's November 2011 Volunteer of the Month. Suzanne Kvas has been a CLC volunteer since 2005.  In that time she has represented seven foster care youth and currently has three clients. 

CLC is grateful to have her commitment and her dedication to always be available for new and existing clients.  Read MORE
 

By: Frank DiPietro, William Mitchell Law School Student (J.D. Candidate 2014), Jenna Skees, Hamline University Law School Student (J.D. Candidate, 2013) and Anne Tyler Gueinzius, Managing Attorney.
 

On September 30, 2011, President Obama signed H.R. 2883, otherwise known as the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, into law.   This new legislation, primarily addresses reauthorization and modification of child and family service programs under Title IV-B and Title IV-E of the Social Security Act and is relevant to all CLC clients.  Title IV-B programs are federal programs focused on preventing child abuse and neglect as well as providing services to families once a finding of child abuse and neglect is substantiated.  Title IV-E provides federal funding to states with children in foster care.   The Child and Family Services Act  provides new requirements for states to receive federal funding under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act and thereby can affect various state child protection practice and policies.  This practice point focuses on those noteworthy sections of this new legislation for CLC clients. To read more, click here for a printable PDF version: Nov 2011 Practice Point