“There are few training resources for attorneys representing juvenile status offenders or youth who are truant, runaways, or beyond their parents control. Yet representing this population of children, who often fall between the cracks of child welfare and juvenile justice, can be challenging. Often, few community or court resources are devoted to these families in crisis, making advocacy for appropriate services and alternatives to detention difficult. This book is your guide to advocating for juvenile status offenders. They are an underserved group, yet thousands enter the court system every year. They face sometimes insurmountable obstacles: abuse, neglect, high family conflict and domestic violence; desperately poor and violent neighborhoods; serious mental health needs, learning disabilities, emotional or behavioral problems; gangs; bad peer group choices; and poor educational and employment options. They are in need of strong advocacy to help them avoid deeper juvenile justice system involvement and detention. They and their families need help mending dysfunctional relationships and accessing community assistance. This book is your roadmap to representing status offenders. Each chapter, written by an expert in the field, gives you the tools to successfully engage and represent youth in status offense proceedings.”
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