Child Abuse Registries as Barriers to Employment and Litigation Strategies to Prevent Further Harm
Being accused of child abuse or neglect is more than just a social or moral stigma. It causes insurmountable barriers to employment and retraining for thousands of low-wage workers every year. These workers are disproportionately from communities of color, which have historically been targeted for enforcement by state child protective service agencies. This panel will show you how these disqualifications harms communities, how to see how your communities are impacted, and reveal the strategies we've used to systemically attack the disqualifications that keep qualified people from working.
- Participants will understand how CA/N administrative findings disqualify low-wage workers from employment.
- Participants will be able to find out whether their state causes racial disproportionality in child welfare administrative findings and understand legal strategies to address this.
- Participants will obtain one other strategy to deal with systematic problems in their child welfare administrative findings related to due process.
Scott Crain
Scott Crain is a statewide advocacy counsel for Northwest Justice Project in Seattle, Washington. His work focuses on litigation support, training and leadership for all of NJP's lawyers working on the rights of low-income people to live in safe and stable housing, free from discrimination. Prior to working as an advocacy counsel, Scott helped found NJP's Medical Legal Partnership (MLP). With MLP, Scott litigated public benefit issues on behalf of Medicaid-eligible children to prevent statewide reductions in TANF, expand autism services, and prevent the institutionalization of kids with chronic health conditions. Scott also worked as a staff attorney for NJP in rural Washington and was previously a research fellow for the Institute on Race and Poverty.
Jennifer Smith, JD, Esq
Managing Attorney
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Jennifer Kinsley Smith is a Managing Attorney at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland where she co-supervises the organizations Public Benefits Unit and works to secure, restore, or maintain public benefits for clients. Jenn has been a presenter at the Midwest Medical Legal Partnership Conference, the ADAMHS Board Roads to Recovery Conference, the National Medical Legal Partnership Summit, and the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association Annual Conference. Jenn co-chairs the organization’s Litigation Committee, and a statewide Access to Justice Affinity Group. Jenn is also accredited by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to assist with veteran’s benefit claims.
Jamie Gullen
Components visible upon registration.