The Conversations podcast features informal discussions with experts focused on key topics in child welfare. Each episode offers education and practice tips designed to inform and support judges, attorneys, and others who serve Texas children, youth, and families experiencing the child welfare system. While episodes are geared towards judicial and legal audiences, they are available to anyone who may be interested. Podcast episodes and accompanying resources are linked below.
Episode 1: Introduction to the CCC
In this inaugural episode of Children's Commission Conversations, Executive Director Jamie Bernstein introduces the work of the Children's Commission and highlights available resources.
Resources:
All resources referenced in this episode can be found on the Children's Commission website.
Episode 2: Pre-Petition Advocacy in Child Welfare Cases
Attorney Cindy Dyar joins us to talk about the impact of pre-petition advocacy on the parent client and on the family, and shares practice tips for parent attorneys taking pre-petition cases.
Guest Bio:
Cindy Dyar is a managing attorney at Texas Legal Services Center, where she oversees the Family Helpline and Kincare Project. Before joining TLSC, she directed the Family Defense Project at Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, which represents indigent families in all stages of DFPS intervention with a focus on pre-petition representation. Cindy is TBLS Board Certified in Child Welfare Law and graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, where she was a Darrow Scholar and a student in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic.
Resources:
Episode 3: Preserving Sibling Connections in Child Welfare Cases
In this conversation, Professor Diane Sumoski, discusses the positive impact of keeping siblings connected at all stages of a case and related best practices for attorneys ad litems.
Guest Bio:
Ms. Sumoski is a Clinical Professor of Law and the Director and Supervising Attorney of the Child Advocacy Clinic at the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University. She received her B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College, and her J.D., cum laude, from Cornell Law School. As the Director of the Law School’s Child Advocacy Clinic, she supervises law students in their representation of children in the child welfare system as the children’s guardian and attorney ad litem and in their representation of youth who have aged out of the foster care system. Ms. Sumoski is TBLS Board Certified in Child Welfare Law and has served on the Exam Commission for the Child Welfare Law Board Certification.
Resources:
Foster Care Bill of Rights, Texas Department of Family Protective Services
Additional Resource:
Sibling Relationships are Sacred: Benefits of Sibling Placement and Contact, American Bar Association
Episode 4: Navigating the Attorney-Client Relationship When Representing DFPS
Coming soon!
Episode 5: Mental Health First Aid in the Courtroom
What is Mental Health First Aid and how can judges and attorneys use it to create a safer and supportive courtroom environment? This episode covers techniques, practice tips, and information about how to get additional training. Learn from Hon. Roxanne Nelson, Justice of the Peace – Precinct 1, Burnet County in this conversation about how to incorporate MHFA in ways that benefit all courtroom participants.
*Please note, this episode contains a brief discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Hotline at 988.
Bio:
Judge Roxanne Nelson lives in Burnet, Texas and has served as Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1 since her appointment in November, 2015. She has been elected three times to fill this position. She has also served as Associate Judge for the cities of Granite Shoals and Burnet.
Appointed as Associate Judge for the City of Granite Shoals in March, 2010, and working through an inter-local agreement between the city and county, Judge Nelson served as full time magistrate at the Burnet County Jail. In June, 2011, at the request of the Burnet County Commissioners’ Court, the Texas Legislature created the position of Burnet County Criminal Magistrate. when Judge Nelson was appointed to serve, and later appointed Justice of the Peace in November 2015.
Judge Nelson has served as a Commissioner on the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health since its inception.
Resources:
Episode 6: Visitation Best Practices
When planning for visitation in child welfare cases, what best practices can maximize this important family time? Please tune in for a conversation with Ali Vasquez of Serene Counseling and Wellness in Pearland for suggestions on how attorneys can prepare their clients for successful visitations and how visitation can facilitate reunification and positive permanency outcomes.
Bio:
Ali Vasquez is a dedicated trauma informed Licensed Professional Counselor. As a native Texan, she was born and raised in the Houston area where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Houston Clear Lake with aspirations of pursuing a career in helping others. While working full-time in education, she completed a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lamar University and has since honed her skills in trauma-informed care.
Resources:
