School of Law
School of Law
June 7 and 8, 2024, CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi presented Distributing Your Ideas at the 2024 AALS Workshop for New Law Teachers.
May 26, 2024 Trivedi鈥檚 l, responding to the article , was published in The New York Times.
May 22, 2024, Trivedi, presented 鈥淎m I Still a Parent?鈥� The Devastating Effects of Family Policing on Parents at the University of Richmond Junior Faculty Forum.
May 17, 2024, Trivedi presented A Legal and Social Science Framework for Considering the Harm of the Removal at The Counsel for Child Abuse and Neglect, in Washington, D.C.
May 14, 2024, Trivedi presented A Legal and Social Science Framework for Considering the Harm of the Removal for the Committee for Public Counsel, [where in?] Massachusetts.
May 7, 2024, Trivedi presented The Constitution Applies to CINA Cases at The Annual Meeting of the Maryland Office of Public Defender.
May 3, 2024 - Sophie Alpert, UBalt Law Class of 2025, shares her experience in a recent blog post, . (include headshot)
April 25, 2024 - Michele Hong Polansky [title??] participated in a panel discussion titled Identities Shape Experiences. Women in the Law Shape Common Ground, at the Annual Meeting of Law School Diversity Professionals (AMDIP).
April 19, 2024 CFCC Executive Director Aubrey Edwards-Luce delivered a keynote address about supporting youth in foster care at the Maryland Rotary Club Statewide Conference, alongside a policy and lived expert [??? lived-experience expert?] Kimberly Martin of the Children鈥檚 Defense Fund.
April 9-12, 2024 - Trivedi and Edwards-Luce attended the ABA Center for Children and the Law Annual Conference [where?]. Trivedi also gave a presentation on the harms that parents experience at the hands of attorneys in the child welfare system.
March 11, 2024- CFCC Executive Director, Aubrey Edwards-Luce attended th announcement of 鈥檚 new Opt-in for Families (Opportunities for Prevention and Transformation) initiative at Martha鈥檚 Table in Washington, DC.
March 8, 2024- CFCC Executive Director, Aubrey Edwards-Luce spoke at the UBalt Law School on a panel titled 鈥�Representing Children in the Law鈥� hosted by the following student groups: Black Law Students Association, the Criminal Law Association, the Family Law Association and the Society for Equity in Education.
March 7, 2024 -CFCC Executive Director, Aubrey Edwards-Luce attend the Bipartisan Congressional Briefing on Primary Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington, D.C.. Hosted by Preevent Child Abuse America and Honorary Co-Hosts: Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito, (R-WV), Bob Casey (D-PA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ben Ray Luj谩n (D-NM), and Angus King (I-ME) and Representative Danny Davis (D-IL) the briefing included an overview of how prevention is possible with federally funded programs already available to parents and caregivers. The event presented current programs that support families before they are in crisis and reduce adverse childhood experiences. Speakers included family and state leaders implementing and participating in prevention focused community-based solutions for families.
March 6, 2024 - CFCC Executive Director, Aubrey Edwards-Luce testified in support of HB849 and SJ4. HB849 would establish a Universal Basic Income program for transition-aged youth who are aging out of foster care. SJ4 would establish governmental responsibility and accountability for addressing student chronic absenteeism. Senator Carter, the sponsor for SJ4, committed to accepting CFCC鈥檚 recommendation to change the resolution鈥檚 language from addressing 鈥渢ruancy鈥� to 鈥渃hronic absenteeism.鈥�
February 23, 2024 - CFCC Faculty Director, Shanta Trivedi co-authored anop-ed with Shereen A. White,
February 22, 2024 - CFCC Executive Director, Aubrey Edwards-Luce is featured in the Mining For Gold podcast titled . Streaming now on Apple Podcasts, Google, SafeCamp Audio, Spotify, and Amazon Music. [include photo from post]
February 21, 2024 - CFCC Executive Director, Aubrey Edwards-Luce shared her lived experience as a kinship
caregiver as she testified in support of SB708, a bill championed by Maryland DHS
Secretary Rafael Lopez. SB 708 would align Maryland鈥檚 law with the evidence that shows
that children who are removed into foster care have better educational, social, and
health outcomes when they are placed with kinship caregivers. The bill balances a
鈥渒in first鈥� with the best interest of the child analysis and respect for parents鈥�
right to direct the care, custody, and control of their children.
February 16, 2024 -CFCC Executive Director, Aubrey Edwards-Luce attended Black Youth Leadership Forum at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC . Members of Congress and community leaders took center stage to discuss legislative initiatives and community organizing they鈥檙e doing to help build up successful Black youth . Amanda Bertholf moderated a conversation around community engagement and uplifting youth. Speakers included Natasha Leake, Robert T. Stephens, Nancy Kay Blackwell, and Kenneth Ward.
February 12, 2024 - CFCC Executive Director, Aubrey Edwards-Luce and Deputy Director Michele Hong attended a grant training with the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts, a longtime funder of the Tackling Chronic Absenteeism Project, formally known as the TCP.
February 8, 2024 - CFCC Faculty Director, Shanta Trivedi, was featured in the ABA Journal titled Family Limbo focused on The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), a topic of which she recently
published an article that pushes for the repeal of ASFA. Read Shanta's article.
February 5 - 2024, CFCC Faculty Director, Shanta Trivedi, traveled to Temple University, Philadelphia, PA as a participant in the Faculty Research and Development Faculty Exchange Program.
December 5, 2023 CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi gave the keynote address at the Office of Criminal Conflict & Civil Regional Counsel, 4th DCA Region鈥檚 Parent Representation Conference entitled The Child Welfare System鈥檚 Approach to Domestic Violence is Not What鈥檚 Best for Kids or Their Parents.
November 21, 2023, The upEND Podcast featured Shanta Trivedi and Joyce McMillan in a segment entitled Episode 5 of Family Defenders, discussed the harms of family separation on children and parents, the outcomes of family policing involvement, and what Miranda Rights for families means.
November 1, 2023 CFCC hosted the Maryland State Bar Association, Family Law Section Open Meeting. Presenters included Hon. Joanie Raymond, Magistrate, Circuit Court for Frederick County; Steffani Langston, Esq., Associate Attorney, Wasserman Family Law; Erica LeMon, Esq., Advocacy Director for Children鈥檚 Rights Maryland Legal Aid; and Laure Ruth, Esq., Chief Program Officer, The Women鈥檚 Law Center of Maryland; moderated by Christopher W. Roberts, Esq., Roberts Family Law.
October 28, 2023 CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi was a panelist at the Keeping Families Together: Crisis in Child Welfare conference at Duke University School of Law.
October 12-13, 2023 CFCC Executive Director Aubrey Edwards-Luce attended the American Bar Association鈥檚 Commission on Youth at Risk invitation-only meeting at Hofstra University School of Law. The event was titled, 鈥淩enewal and Revolution: Recommitting the Legal Profession to Serving Children and Youth, their Families, and Communities.鈥�
October 12, 2023 CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi was a panelist at What鈥檚 Next?: Supporting Children, Youth and Families in a Post-Abolition World, at Rutgers Law School.
October 7, 2023 CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi moderated a panel entitled How We Win: Lessons Learned from Policy Changers.
October 6-8, 2023 CFCC partnered with First Focus on Children in D.C. to host the annual convening of the lived experts of the Child Welfare and Race Equity (CWARE) Collaborative. The group met with one executive office and three federal legislators鈥� offices. Additionally, the in-person gathering allowed the leaders to further refine their policy strategies and grow their vision for the CWARE Collaborative.
July 19, 2023 CFCC Executive Director Aubrey Edwards-Luce testified at the Library of Congress in Washington DC at the Congressional Breakfast Briefing entitled, Hidden Foster Care: What it is, what harm it causes, and what Congress can do.鈥� CFCC staff members attended in support.
July 2023 "How will I get back?: The Enduring Pain of Permanent Family Separation," CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi co-authored with law student Erin Carrington Smith in the Family Justice Journal.
July, 2023 鈥� CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi published 鈥淢andated Support for Survivors,鈥� in the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law, Vol. 30:1.
July 21, 2023 鈥� Aubrey Luce-Edwards, CFCC Executive Director, hosted a breakfast briefing on the hidden foster care system for Congressional staffers on Capitol Hill.
June 27, 2023 鈥� The Abell Foundation awarded CFCC $50,000 in support of the Truancy Court Program.
July 18, 2023 - CFCC received the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) 2023 Impact of the Year Award and was honored during the organization鈥檚 86th Annual Conference in 极乐禁地e for CFCC鈥檚 exceptional efforts in rethinking, reimagining, and redefining justice for children and families."The NCJFCJ is proud to recognize CFCC's dedication to redefining justice for children and families with programs that are making a profound difference in the lives of those they serve," said NCJFCJ President Judge Gayl Branum Carr. "It is truly commendable. We applaud the organization for advancing the NCJFCJ's vision of a society where every family and child has access to fair, equal, effective, and timely justice."
July 12, 2023 鈥� Aubrey Edwards-Luce joined CFCC as new executive director. Aubrey is a zealous advocate for children, youth, and families. CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi said, 鈥淲e could not be more excited to have Aubrey join us. Aubrey has spent her entire career advocating for children while emphasizing the importance of family and community. She is a natural collaborator and centers the voices of those with lived experience in legal systems in everything she does. We are grateful for her policy expertise and are so excited to work together to bring her ideas to life.鈥� About joining CFCC, Aubrey said, 鈥淚 am deeply grateful for the opportunity to build on CFCC鈥檚 incredible legacy as we launch new efforts to prevent unnecessary court involvement by supporting children and families in ways that are responsive to their needs and experiences.鈥�&苍产蝉辫; .
June 20, 2023 - The Hon. Miriam Hutchins, District Court of Maryland for 极乐禁地e City (ret.), received this year鈥檚 Anthony 鈥淏ubba鈥� Green Star Player Award in recognition of her long service as a TCP volunteer judge. Judge Hutchins is known for her ability to draw students out of their shell and for providing never-ending support. As one Carver student put it, 鈥淢y favorite part of the school week is鈥alking to the judge. She is so cool and lets me talk about anything and everything, but still keeps me in check about getting to school on time.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;Each year, CFCC conveys this award in honor of Anthony 鈥淏ubba鈥� Green, a former 极乐禁地e Colts defensive lineman, and a long-time mentor on the TCP team who passed away in June 2019. The award is given each year to the individual associated with the TCP who best exemplifies Bubba鈥檚 commitment to working on behalf of others, taking on new challenges, and persevering in the face of adversity.
May 24, 2023 - Christopher Kelly joined the CFCC team in the newly created role of Truancy Court Program Case Manager. This new position was created to focus on outreach and advocacy, and to refer TCP students and families to service providers who can support the complex needs that can serve as obstacles to TCP students鈥� academic, social, and emotional growth. .
February 2023 鈥� The Charles Crane Family Foundation continued its nearly two decades of support for the operation of CFCC鈥檚 Truancy Court Program with a grant of $60,000 this year. The foundation was CFCC's first donor in 2004. We thank the Charles Crane Family Foundation for their unwavering support of CFCC.
March 8, 2023 鈥� Executive director Rebecca Stahl left CFCC to become executive director of Somatic Experiencing International.
August 22, 2023 - CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi was quoted in the极乐禁地e Banner article,
August 9, 2023 鈥� The Imprint Youth and Family News published
August 7, 2023 鈥� The Maryland Daily Record published
August 1, 2023 - CFCC Executive Director Aubrey Luce-Edwards was featured in 鈥淪hadow Foster Care: Children and caregivers in a 鈥榟idden鈥� system miss out on benefits and support,鈥� by Amanda Robert inThe ABA Journal鈥檚 Children & the Law series
August 2023 - CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi published 鈥淢andated Support for Survivors,鈥� in theVirginia Journal of Social Policy
July 24, 2023 - 极乐禁地e Fishbowl published
July 20, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi co-authored with law student Erin Carrington Smith 鈥淗ow Will I Get Back?: The Enduring Pain of Permanent Family Separation, published in the
July 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi was interviewed for the 极乐禁地 School of Law blog series Charles Street Chats.
March 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi was quoted in the article "Advocates for foster children sue state over psychotropic drug prescriptions" in The Daily Record's March 2023 Maryland Family Law Update.
March 23, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi published "The Adoption and Safe Families Act Cannot Be Salvaged," in the Family Court Review.
February 14, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi was quoted in the article 鈥淢aryland Eyes Law to Protect Domestic Violence Survivors from 鈥楩ailure to Protect鈥� Charge,鈥� by Sara Tiano in . Shanta provided testimony on behalf of the law, which, if passed, would be the first of its kind in the U.S.
September 26, 2022 鈥� CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi and Richard Wexler published 鈥淚nadequate housing for foster children is only part of the problem,鈥�&苍产蝉辫;an opinion piece in The 极乐禁地e Banner.
September 27, 2023 鈥� The 2023 CFCC Symposium, held on Sept. 27, focused on 鈥淭he Harm of Removal to Children, Parents, and Communities.鈥� The keynote speaker was Sixto Cancel, the founder and CEO of Think of Us, Think of You (TOU), a research and design lab driving systematic change in child welfare policy and practice. Cancel has been named to Forbes list of Top 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs and recognized as a White House Champion of Change. He has served as a Young Fellow at Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative since 2010, where he has played a key role in the initiative鈥檚 work of extending foster care permanency for older youth. Cancel鈥檚 tireless advocacy is informed by his own experience of the foster care system.
September 26, 2023 鈥� The Pre-Symposium Book Talk, held on Sept. 26, featured three symposium panelists discussing critical issues and perspectives informing this year鈥檚 symposium through the lens of their books: Confronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare System: The Case for Abolition (Oxford University Press 2023) by Alan J. Dettlaff, professor and former dean of the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work; The End of Family Court: How Abolishing the Court Brings Justice to Children and Families (NYU Press 2023) by Jane Spinak, the Edward Ross Aranow Clinical Professor of Law Emerita at Columbia Law School; and A Child of the Indian Race: A Story of Return (Minnesota Historical Society Press 2022) by Sandy White Hawk, director of healing programs at the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.
July 21, 2023 鈥� CFCC executive director Aubrey Edwards-Luce joined her colleagues on National Hidden Foster Care Work Group at the Library of Congress for a briefing breakfast, along with CFCC staff. The event was honorarily co-hosted by leadership from the bipartisan congressional caucus on foster youth. Chairwoman Representative Gwen Moore provided opening remarks as did Co-Chair Representative Mary Gay Scanlon. Aubrey Edwards-Luce, detailed her experience with hidden foster care as a caregiver for her goddaughter and her sister. She also recommended that federal legislation include an opportunity for you to have a voice in creation the arrangements and the services they might need.
June 21, 2023 - CFCC hosted a TCP Judges鈥� Luncheon to celebrate the end of the school year, and awarded the Anthony 鈥淏ubba鈥� Green Star Player Award to the Hon. Miriam Hutchins (ret.).
May 4, June 7, and June 14, 2023 - Members of CFCC and the TCP team gave virtual presentations on how to operate the Truancy Court Program for judges and providers from Pima County, Arizona; for the Truancy Reduction Program: Show Up, Stand out (SUSO) with the District of Columbia Government, Executive Office of the Mayor; and to Pupil Personnel Workers (PPWs) from Carroll County, Maryland.
June 14鈥�15, 2023 - Shanta Trivedi presented her paper, 鈥淎m I Still a Parent? The Harms to Parents when their Children Are Removed,鈥� at the 2023 Family Law Scholars & Teachers Conference (FLSTC) at Boston College Law School. Shanta is currently co-chairing the FLSTC with Professor Meghan Boone (Wake Forest University).
June 1 and 2, 2023 - CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi participated in the Annual Meeting on Law and Society in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
On June 1, she served as a reader in an Author Meets Reader Session for the books Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families "and" How Abolition Can Build a Better World by Dorothy Roberts (University of Pennsylvania) and Prosecuting Poverty, Criminalizing Care, by Wendy A. Bach (University of Tennessee) chaired by Professor Emerita Nancy Polikoff (American University). Other readers included:
Amna Akbar (The Ohio State University)
Kelley Fong (University of California, Irvine)
Tina Lee (University of Wisconsin-Stout)
Priscilla Ocen, (Loyola Law School, Los Angeles)
Jane Spinak (Columbia Law School)
On June 2, she participated in a roundtable entitled Focusing on Families: Centering Lived Experience in Teaching Family Policing, with Joyce McMillan of JMac for Families and Professors Dorothy Roberts (University of Pennsylvania), Sarah Katz (Temple University) and Sarah Lorr (Brooklyn Law School).
May 2023 - TCP held pizza and donut parties for spring graduates at our five schools this term. Graduates either (1) decreased their absences/tardies by at least 65% or (2) improved their grades to at least passing in two or more core classes. TCP鈥檚 graduation rate for the spring session was 79%. Read TCP Coordinator Rohina Zavala鈥檚 full end-of-year TCP wrapup article on .
April 24, 2023 - TCP partnered with Global Gardens to present a workshop led by four 极乐禁地e City Public School high school students for 20 Park Heights Academy students (grades 3 through 5) on the effects of global warming and how kids can help. Students were given a pot, soil, and herb seeds to plant as part of the workshop. This event was a collaboration with My Box, which provides educational gifts to hospitalized children, children home with Covid, and chronically absent children.
April, 2023 - CFCC collected approximately 100 books from the community to donate to TCP students who were interested in improving their reading skills. Per the request of the students, the majority of the donations were for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Goosebumps series.
March 29 鈥� April 4, 2023 - Thanks to the generous support of CFCC friends, the Truancy Court Program (TCP) team was able to distribute 27 spring break food baskets to 23 families, including one family of 11 people who received 3 baskets and another multi-generational household that received 2 baskets. Each basket included approximately $40 of groceries and an assortment of age-appropriate games for the student(s) to help support families during spring break. The groceries consisted of easy-to-make meals, non-perishable goods, fresh fruit, and plenty of snacks. Age-appropriate activities ranged from playing cards to board games and activity books.
March 30, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi presented at a University of Connecticut School of Law symposium entitled 鈥淎re Parental Rights Always in the Best Interest of Children? Race, Gender, Sexuality, and the Conflict over Parental Rights.鈥�
March 23, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi conducted a virtual training for the Judicial Council of California on the harm of removal.
March 21, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi participated in a judicial training coordinated by Hon. Cathy Serrette entitled 鈥淐ultural Considerations in Family Law,鈥� with Maria Nenutzka Villamar, Dr. Denise McCain, and Nolanda Kirby.
March 10, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi presented her paper 鈥淭he Adoption and Safe Families Act Should Not Be Salvaged: The Case for Repeal鈥� at the Poverty Law Conference at University of California Berkeley School of Law.
March 7, 2023 鈥� CFCC Faculty Director Shanta Trivedi participated in a discussion of Daniel L. Hatcher鈥檚 book Injustice, Inc.: How America鈥檚 Justice System Commodifies Children and the Poor鈥� (University of California Press), at Red Emma鈥檚 in 极乐禁地e. The C-Span video of that event is available .
February 9, 2023 鈥� Rebecca Stahl presented the training 鈥淭rauma-Informed Practices for Legal Professionals鈥� at the Pro Bono Resource Center in 极乐禁地e.
February 7, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi moderated a webinar for the UB Law in Focus Series, 鈥�Is the Indian Child Welfare Act Unconstitutional?鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
January 27, 2023 鈥� CFCC Executive Director Rebecca Stahl presented the webinar 鈥淰icarious Trauma and Judges鈥� Self Care鈥� at the Administrative Office of the Courts.
January 20, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi presented her paper 鈥淗ow Asking for Help Harms Survivors鈥� at the Centering Family Violence Roundtable at the University of Virginia School of Law.
January 17, 2023 鈥� CFCC and the Center for Criminal Justice Reform co-hosted a discussion of Kristin Henning鈥檚 new book The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Henning is the Blume Professor of Law and director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law.
January 12, 2023 鈥� Shanta Trivedi conducted a custody training for the Office of the Public Defender, Parent Defense Division.
December 8, 2022 鈥� Shanta Trivedi presented 鈥淭he Harm of Child Removal鈥� The Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, 4th DCA Region (Florida by Zoom).
December 7, 2022 鈥� Shanta Trivedi presented 鈥淭he Constitution Applies to Child Welfare,鈥� at the Children鈥檚 Law Center (DC)
November 15, 2022 鈥� CFCC hosted with the Maryland Child Alliance, featuring presentations by Nate Golden, Aubrey Edwards-Luce, and Windy Davis.
November 30, 2022 鈥� Shanta Trivedi conducted a Custody Know Your Rights training at in 极乐禁地e.
October 3鈥�6, 2022 鈥� Shanta Trivedi, Shereen A. White, and Shakira Paige presented "The Harm of Child Removal," at the 2022 Kempe International Virtual Conference.
September 29, 2022 鈥� The CFCC Symposium focused on Protecting Family Integrity. Recordings are now available on the . For more information on the 2023 Symposium, visit .