All children should be seen and heard.
What We Do
TeamChild clients often struggle with school failure, housing instability, and health issues. By asserting their civil legal rights to education, social, and health services, TeamChild attorneys help young people remain connected to their families and communities and stay out of trouble while giving courts viable alternatives to incarceration.
Youth are often referred to TeamChild when other professionals or caregivers have been unable to resolve a problem. Every youth we serve has a unique set of circumstances and needs contributing to their behavior and ultimate involvement in the juvenile justice system. TeamChild removes barriers to make sure that youth can access services that meet their basic needs. For example:
School
- TeamChild lawyers work with children who are out of school by helping them understand and exercise their right to an education, through readmission advocacy or school discipline hearings.
- We ensure that youth in danger of dropping out or getting pushed out of school are reconnected to appropriate educational programming.
- We help children with disabilities navigate the special education system in order to obtain evaluations and services.
Health & Social Services
- For children struggling with unmet mental health needs, TeamChild advocates for medically necessary services by challenging denials of service or seeking evaluations that lead to outpatient or inpatient treatment.
- We help children who need extra social service supports to establish eligibility for public benefits like developmental disability services or financial, food and housing assistance.
Housing & Independent Living
- We assist youth struggling because of conflict in the home or homelessness by securing alternative living arrangements through placement negotiations with family members or through court-authorized placement.
- TeamChild helps youth who need additional independent living skills and support in a variety of ways. For example, we provide advice and brief service for emancipation, juvenile record sealing and relief from registration, and transitional housing.
We believe that young people should take part in coming up with solutions to the problems they face. Our attorneys work directly with youth to identify their goals and create a plan that will achieve each of these goals. Attorneys are there to help youth understand their legal rights and make informed decisions every step of the way. TeamChild attorneys use a wide range of legal advocacy tools including but not limited to:
- legal analysis, advice, and counsel
- negotiation and other dispute resolution
- representation in administrative or judicial proceedings
- support in juvenile court through collaborations with public defenders
- advocacy in community-based meetings
