Past Happenings

In a recent Harvard Law Today article, students reflect on how the Child Advocacy Clinic’s blend of practical legal training, professional development, and personal reflection, enriched their understanding of lawyering for children and youth.

Elizabeth Bartholet will be inducted into the 2021 National Council for Adoption’s (NCFA’s) Adoption Hall of Fame at a ceremony to be held Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Washington, DC.

Coming out of CAP’s Homeschooling Summit, “There was a strong consensus among attendees that, at a minimum, there should be background checks with child protective services and criminal record checks before a parent is allowed to homeschool.” – Elizabeth Bartholet

Child welfare experts call for increased regulation of homeschooling, including background checks at a meeting hosted at Harvard Law School. For the full press release, click here.

“Because monetary sanctions are rooted in a history of racial subjugation and reinforce and heighten racial disparities, the DOJ guidance should recommend that states and localities end, not mend, juvenile fees and fines.”

“After the virus hit, my work for both the externship and the seminar transitioned into new and unknown digital workspaces. This shift was unprecedented, but it caused me to gain three valuable lessons that I will carry with me throughout my legal career.”

In spring 2021, Logan Brown worked alongside attorneys of the Children and Family Law Division (CAFL) of the Committee for Public Council Services (CPCS) as part of the Child Advocacy Clinic, taught by Lecture on Law and CAP Assistant Director Crisanne Hazen.

CAP Faculty Director Elizabeth Bartholet recently appeared on a panel of the Harvard Kennedy School conference Post-Pandemic Future of Homeschooling (May 6-June 17, 2021).

Child Advocacy Program (CAP) Director, Elizabeth Bartholet, was asked by Harvard Law Today to weigh-in on how President Biden’s first 100 days in office have impacted children and families. For the full story click here. 

The Justice for Juveniles Act (H.R. 5053) to increase access to federal courts for youth facing abuse and harm in justice facilities was passed recently in the House with a unanimous vote. A coalition of child rights advocacy groups, including the Child Advocacy Program, signed a letter in support of the bill’s passage earlier this […]

Schools, CPS, and communities at-large need to recognize that the risk of abuse is higher now both because children are not being observed at home and because of the COVID-related stresses their parents are undergoing.

Bartholet warns that for the children most vulnerable to maltreatment at home, being seen by teachers who are mandated reporters, is their only protection.

“I think it is important to make the public aware that, in these unusual times, some of the normal protections for kids don’t exist, and that kids aren’t being seen by mandated reporters (such as teachers and doctors), who are a key piece of our child protection system.” – Bartholet

Friday, Feb. 28, CAP hosts the producer and writer/director of the upcoming Netflix series.

In her Op-Ed, Babies v. Massachusetts Courts? (Boston Globe, September 26, 2019), Dr. Deborah Eappen decries resistance by some Massachusetts judges to punish caregivers convicted of Abusive Head Trauma of infants and children.

The Djokovic Science and Innovation Fellowship is a partnership of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard and the Novak Djokovic Foundation.

In her Op-Ed, Child’s Story Underscores Need for Overhaul of DCF (Aug. 29, 2019), Elizabeth Bartholet calls on the Baker administration to radically reform the troubled department.

In “No Matter What It Takes,” Laura Stelianou’s essay from the 2019 Clinical and Pro Bono Programs Commencement Newsletter, the recent J.D. graduate discusses her clinical training in education equity advocacy, including her placement with a juvenile court judge as part of the Child Advocacy Clinic.

Florence Bryan (J.D. ’19) writes about the lessons she learned through her CAP Child Advocacy Clinic externship placement. […]

Read CAP Faculty Director Elizabeth Bartholet’s forthcoming article on child welfare and the homeschooling movement […]

The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) and the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) published their reactions to the FY 2018 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoptions […]

In his essay, “Incarceration Helped Me Find My Voice,” (New York Times, Mar. 6, 2019)  Brian L. Frank reflects on how his experience with incarceration at a young age inspired his current work using photojournalism to reform the criminal justice system. […]

The Djokovic Science and Innovation Fellowship is a partnership of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard and the Novak Djokovic Foundation. Designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, it is available to advanced Harvard University doctoral students whose independent research aligns with the Center’s mission – to drive science-based innovation to achieve breakthrough outcomes for children facing adversity. […]

In the May 7, 2018, Harvard Law Today “Student Spotlight,” Ha Ryong (Michael) Jung ’18 credits his CAP Clinic placement (at the Massachusetts AG’s Office in the Child and Youth Protection Unit) with providing critical tools for the global child advocacy work he plans to pursue after graduation.

The Djokovic Science and Innovation Fellowship is accepting applications through Dec. 22, 2017.

In “Harvard’s Elizabeth Bartholet Takes on Differential Response,” Daniel Heimpel reviews Elizabeth Bartholet’s latest law review article, “Differential Response: A Dangerous Experiment in Child Welfare.”  Click here for the piece.

The University of Michigan Law School’s 2015 Bergstrom Child Welfare Law Summer Fellowship is now taking applications.  Students who have completed their first year of law school but who have not yet graduated are eligible to apply.  Bergstrom Fellows are brought to Ann Arbor, MI for three days of training (May 18-20, 2015) both to […]

John Simmons posted “A Salute to Fierce Women Who Protect Children” on the Huffington Post, featuring Elizabeth Bartholet and her international adoption advocacy work.   Click here for the piece.

CAP is delighted to welcome Cheryl Bratt as the new Administrative Director, featured in HLS’s Clinical and Pro Bono Programs June 2014 Newsletter.  Click here for the Newsletter.

An Op-Ed appeared in the Boston Globe by Elizabeth Bartholet, “Parental Custody? Not if they’re addicts.”  Click here for the piece.

Commentary on Differential Response by Elizabeth Bartholet and Daniel Heimpel, “DCF Shift Puts Children’s Safety at Risk,” appeared in the Hartford Courant.  Click here for the piece.

Op-Ed on Differential Response by Elizabeth Barholet and Daniel Heimpel, “Saving children from our child welfare system,” appeared in the Boston Globe.  Click here for the piece.

Former Harvard Law School Visiting Scholar F. Frederic (Ric) Fouad will present on the Milton Hershey School Trust.

Join CAP Faculty and Affiliates for an Open House for HLS Graduate Program students. SJD candidates, LLMs, and Visiting Researchers and Scholars will have the opportunity to get to know others at HLS who share an interest in children’s issues. Meet in the CAP Offices (WCC 4133) at noon. Lunch will be provided.

CAP Faculty Director Elizabeth Bartholet is quoted in CNN story “International Adoption: Saving orphans or child trafficking?”  Click here for more.

CAP’s Fall “Art of Social Change” course launches on Thursday, Sept 12, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM.  Course topics include: Substance Abuse & Child Maltreatment, Childhood Hunger, International Adoption, Youth Violence, Education & Social Enterprise.  For the course description, schedule, and speaker biographies, click here.

For Frequently Asked Questions about the Clinic, click here.  For more about the Clinic (Spring and Winter/Spring options in 2014), click here.

CAP’s “Art of Social Change” course is serving as a model for courses for students studying journalism, public policy and social work in California.  Click here to read more.  Or click here for PDF version of the article.

Join CAP and HLS LLM Candidate Sedoo Manu to discuss his work-in-progress.  Meet in CAP’s offices (WCC 4133) at noon. Lunch will be provided.

Join CAP and HLS JD Candidate Melissa Friedman to discuss her work-in-progress.  Meet in CAP’s offices (WCC 4133) at noon. Lunch will be provided.

CAP Faculty Director Elizabeth Bartholet is a guest on NPR’s On Point with Tom Ashbrook in a show entitled “The Future of Adoption: International and Domestic.”  Click here for more.

Join CAP and HLS SJD Candidate Claire Houston to discuss her work on the construction of the child in domestic violence law. Meet in CAP’s offices (WCC 4133) at noon. Lunch will be provided.

In Spring 2013, CAP is hosting a Luncheon Series with Harvard Law School JD and Graduate Program students. A different presenter will discuss his/her work-in-progress at each luncheon.

Join CAP Faculty and Affiliates for an Open House for HLS Graduate Program students. SJD candidates, LLMs, and Visiting Researchers and Scholars will have the opportunity to get to know others at HLS who share an interest in children’s issues. Meet in the CAP Offices (WCC 4133) at noon. Lunch will be provided.

CAP’s Fall “Art of Social Change” course is launching on Thursday, Sept 13, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM.  

CAP Faculty Director Elizabeth Bartholet discusses CAP’s Prevention & Protection Brainstorming Workshop held at HLS on May 10-11, 2012.  Learn more.

Visit CAP in our new home.  Hear about our courses and the clinic.  Learn about CAP’s law reform projects, events, and more.  Come to WCC 4133 at noon.  Lunch will be provided.

In Spring 2012, CAP is hosting a Luncheon Series with HLS Graduate Program students and visitors.

Each month a different presenter will discuss his/her work-in-progress, and luncheon attendees will have the opportunity to brainstorm and provide feedback and suggestions on the presenter’s project.