Dependency Legal Services

PROVIDE LEGAL REPRESENTATION IN JUVENILE DEPENDENCY COURT

DEPENDENCY LEGAL SERVICES IS A NON-PROFIT, INTERDISCIPLINARY LAW FIRM DEDICATED TO SERVING CHILDREN AND PARENTS IN CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASES. OUR ATTORNEYS ARE COURT APPOINTED TO SERVE CLIENTS IN MARIN, PLACER, SOLANO, SONOMA, STANISLAUS AND YOLO COUNTY DEPENDENCY PROCEEDINGS. DEPENDENCY LEGAL SERVICES SERVED APPROXIMATELY 2400 TOTAL CLIENTS AT ANY GIVEN TIME IN ALL OUR COUNTIES: THIS WAS COMPRISED OF APPROXIMATELY 925 CHILDREN AND 1475 PARENTS. FOR A FURTHER BREAKDOWN BY COUNTY, THE FOLLOWING ARE POINT IN TIME APPROXIMATE NUMBERS:MARIN: 88 CHILDREN AND 35 PARENTSPLACER: 199 PARENTSSONOMA: 326 PARENTS AND 5 CHILDRENSOLANO: 355 CHILDREN AND 282 PARENTSSTANISLAUS: 164 CHILDREN AND 358 PARENTSYOLO: 313 CHILDREN AND 273 PARENTSWITH REGARD TO PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS, DEPENDENCY LEGAL SERVICES CONTINUES TO RAISE THE QUALITY OF SERVICES TO OUR CLIENTS IN VARIOUS WAYS. FIRSTLY, DLS REMAINS ACTIVE IN THE LEGISLATURE. DEPENDENCY LEGAL SERVICES CO-SPONSORED SEVERAL BILLS THAT WERE SIGNED INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR NEWSOME. AS WITH ALL OF OUR LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS, WE STRIVE TO ADVOCATE FOR POLICY CHANGES THAT SUPPORT FAMILIES, INCREASE REUNIFICATION AND PROMOTE STABILITY FOR FOSTER YOUTH THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA. THIS WORK INCLUDED: 1) ORIGINALLY NUMBERED ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 876 (AB876)(2023-2024). THIS BILL ALLOWS THE JUVENILE COURT TO MAINTAIN JURISDICTION AFTER A MINOR IN FOSTER CARE HAS DIED TO RECEIVE DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE MINORS DEATH. THIS WAS PASSED INTO LAW THROUGH THE OMNIBUS BILL AB 1756. 2) ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 937 (AB937)(2023-2024). ABSENT SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE, AB 937 REQUIRES THE JUVENILE COURT TO CONTINUE REUNIFICATION SERVICES PAST THE 18-MONTH DATE IF THE COURT MAKES A FINDING THAT THE AGENCY HAS NOT PROVIDED REASONABLE SERVICES DURING THE LAST REVIEW PERIOD. AB937 ABROGATED THE SUPREME COURTS DECISION IN RE MICHAEL G. (2023) 14 CAL. 5TH 609.DEPENDENCY LEGAL SERVICES ATTORNEYS ALSO SERVE ON THE FAMILY LAW ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE FAMILY LAW/JUVENILE LAW COMMITTEE AS WELL. DLS ATTORNEYS ALSO CONTINUE TO BE CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS TO SEISER & KUMLI ON JUVENILE COURTS PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE. THIS YEAR SENIOR STAFF ROLLED OUT SEVERAL TRAININGS FOR BOTH DLS STAFF AND DEPENDENCY COUNSEL AND SOCIAL WORKERS ACROSS THE STATE. ONE TRAINING FOCUSED ON THE USE OF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING IN WORKING WITH OUR CLIENTS. ADDITIONALLY, OUR STAFF ATTENDED TRAININGS BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA. FOUR OF OUR MANAGEMENT STAFF HAVE COMPLETED THE ONE JUSTICE NON-PROFIT TRAINING PROGRAM. DLS HAS BEEN EXPLORING PRE-FILING WORK IN SONOMA COUNTY. IN MARIN, DLS CONTINUES TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TOWARD IMPLEMENTATION OF A FAMILY TREATMENT COURT. WE APPLIED FOR A GRANT IN 2023. HOWEVER, THIS ATTEMPT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. DLS CONTINUES TO INTEGRATE SOCIAL WORKERS INTO OUR MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PRACTICE. WE ARE SEEING THE VALUE SOCIAL WORKERS BRING IN PARENT AND CHILD REPRESENTATION. DLS CONTINUES TO PUT AN EMPHASIS ON RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION. IN 2023, ALL STAFF RECEIVED 6% RAISES IN ADDITION TO HOLIDAY BONUSES. DLS CONTINUES TO DRAW DOWN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR OUR WORK. THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL ADOPTED THE PILOT SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR FIRST- AND SECOND-YEAR LAW STUDENTS IN 2023. STIPENDS WERE FOR 5 INTERNS OVER THE SUMMER. DLS SUPPLEMENTED THIS FUNDING BY SEVERAL DOLLARS PER HOUR TO MAKE IT MORE WORTHWHILE FOR THE INTERNS. THE PROGRAM WAS SUCCESSFUL WITH THE HOPE OF RECRUITING THESE STUDENTS ONCE THEY PASS THE BAR EXAM.