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There are a tremendous amount of sad stories, the parents are on drugs or in jail and the grandparents take over the care of the child or children. One mother was living in the streets and would threaten to take the children back because she did not want to lose the aid she was receiving for the kids that she was not even caring for. We helped grandma get the guardianship of the child and make sure the child was not forced to live in the streets with the mother. One family was running from a war in their country and on their way out of the country, they saw a boy crying next to his dead mother. They took the boy with them to the US. The boy was in shock and could not speak, thus could not tell this kind family his name, age or any information about himself or his family. They have cared for him and treated him like one of their own ever since. They have taken care of the needs for the child and enrolled him in school. One child's parents were both stricken with aids and the neighbor took the child in and cared for him. We assisted in the guardianship proceeding for that kind person to care for this child that had no family left. We enabled that child's life to continue in the most comfortable way that it could. Legal guardianship was placed in the one person that he had left to depend on. GAL Parents are so wrapped up in their divorce and fighting with one another, they did not even stop to notice the harm that was being done to the child. The child attempted suicide and a Guardian Ad Litem was put on the case. These kids need someone to look into what is going on and where is the best place for them to be placed. The child cannot speak up for themselves in many instances, as they are too young or too afraid of hurting one or both of the parent's feelings. The Judges are so pleased with this program and feel that the service it offers is immeasurable. The GALs are the eyes and ears of the court. The court would otherwise not have the resource to actually investigate these cases. The Court must try to decide in the courtroom which person is lying and who is telling the truth. With the services and investigation of the GAL, the court is given vital information that they need in order to decide the best interest of the child. FACT One girl who was afraid of her shadow and very timid, was the victim of physical abuse from her boyfriend. When she first came to the clinic, she would not admit that he hit her and we tried to explain to her that there was nothing to be ashamed of and that in order to protect herself, she needed to get an order of protection. With a little coaxing and hand holding, she got the order. A month later, at our next visit, she was smiling and bright. She had an air of self-confidence and was holding her head up high. She felt empowered and was a new person. How the Children’s Law Center can help you help your children?  We offer free advice clinics for teens and youth. A calendar of dates and times is in the newsletter. Please refer to that section to take advantage of free legal services for your child. We recruit and train attorneys to help with certain legal issues for children. We have about 350 attorneys on our roster to help children. If going thru a divorce and you are concerned about your child’s well being while in custody of the other parent or concerned about alienation of parent. Request the Family Court to appoint a free Guardian Ad Litem. The Guardian Ad Litem will research and review all the facts, meet with the children, the parents, the schools, check CPS records and any other applicable records and reports, in order to make a recommendation to the court of the Best Interest of the youth. If the Court feels it is appropriate, the court will order an appointment of a Guardian Ad Litem to assist them in determining the best for the child. If your child has been dropped from their social security benefits unjustly, please contact our office to see if we can help by placing a volunteer attorney on the case. If you are unable to care for your child and would like to have someone else appointed guardian of that child, please call our office to find out how we can help file the necessary paperwork. If interested in giving your child up for adoption to a specified person, please call our office so we can help you access the system and work out a permanency plan for your child. If there is anyway, we can help you access information to help you deal with a legal issue affecting your children, please call our office or email. Please refer to newsletter for up to date information and calendar of events, through the Children’s Law Center AGAIN, put a bunch of web sites that would be good for parenting and also for information for parents!
Important Numbers and links
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Community Information & Referral (602) 263-8856 or 1-800-352-3792 |
Family Advocacy Center (602) 263-8900 or 1-888-246-0303 |
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National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) |
Local shelters-CONTACS (602) 263-8900 or 1-800-799-7739 |
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National Sexual Abuse Hotline-RAINN 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) |
In an emergency, CALL 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY National AIDS hotline 1-800-342-AIDS Child Protective Services 1-888-767-2445 |
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Drugs/Alcohol/Substance Abuse Alcohol Anonymous 1-800-835-1935 Narcotics Anonymous 1-800-470-7670 |
Family Planning/Crisis Pregnancy 1-800-759-9916 Medical Services/AHCCS 1-800-654-8713 Parents Anonymous Family Lifeline |
Crisis intervention for prevention of child abuse |
