Columnist Sandra Thompson: Court program will give kids a voice

Sandra Thompson is vice president/associate editor of the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at 259-4025 or through e-mail at [email protected]

A PROGRAM to give children a voice in Family Court matters is set to begin Sept. 1.

The Children's Law Project will provide independent legal representation in abuse/neglect, guardianship and domestic violence cases. At the outset, special attention will be given to termination of parental rights cases, children with unmet special needs (medical, emotional, etc.) and children who have languished in the foster care system.

The project also includes a pilot program for children who live in violent homes but who aren't in the Family Court system because their parents aren't going through a divorce.

The project is a giant step toward shifting Family Court's focus to meeting the needs of children.

"It's an area where we lacked services for the 21 years I've been here," says Linda Ley, director of the CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) program.

There are no statistics on the need for children's legal services, but there is reason to believe it is substantial. Litigants and court personnel alike have complained for some time about the child's voice not being heard in Family Court matters.

According to one court estimate, there are 1,506 "serious" neglect cases and 312 abuse cases that would be considered for this project. It is not known how many others would fall under the domestic violence category.

Ley says the project also will focus on older teens in foster care who are ready to leave the system and live independently.

At some point the project may include children involved in contentious custody battles who need legal representation.

The Children's Law Project is the only such program in the state. It stems from an effort begun about 13 months ago by a dedicated group led by County Commissioner Myrna Williams, Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley and Family Court Judge Gerald Hardcastle. The group included Ley; Thom Reilly, director of Clark County Administrative Services; Municipal Judge Nancy Saitta; District Court Administrator Chuck Short; Annette Appell, professor at UNLV's Boyd School of Law; and state Sen. Jon Porter of Boulder City. They deserve a lot of credit for seeing a need and devising a plan to meet it.

Their work led to the passage of Assembly Bill 430 in the waning hours of the 1999 Legislature, which provided $200,000 to hire attorneys for the two-year pilot program.

On Tuesday the County Commission is expected to approve a contract with Clark County Legal Services to hire two attorneys for the project and contract with other attorneys for services at a reduced rate.

The project also will expand the CASA program by hiring an additional case manager to train more volunteers. Last year 187 CASA volunteers served 750 children. Ley hopes to add 60 volunteers.

Expect the Children's Law Project to proceed cautiously.

"We don't want to set up expectations that we can't meet," Short says.

Attorneys may handle about 50 cases each, but the figure will fluctuate. Buckley says some cases may require four hours; others 24.

Attorneys will screen the cases; CASA will handle the initial intake process. Just about anyone can refer a child to the program. Referral forms can be obtained at CASA, 601 N. Pecos Road (455-4306).

The project also will serve as a clearinghouse that looks at legal situations and determines how to apply resources to best represent the interests of children.

"This is something we can be proud of," Ley says.

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