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The Bar-Youth Empowerment Project

About the Bar-Youth Empowerment Project

In January 2008, the American Bar Association’s Center on Children and the Law and Youth at Risk Commission, in partnership with Casey Family Programs and the Eckerd Family Foundation, started the Bar-Youth Empowerment Project. The Bar-Youth Empowerment Project aims to improve outcomes for youth currently in foster care as well as young people who have aged out of care by promoting youth participation in court cases that affect them and offering access to legal counseling and representation to youth in need of specialized legal assistance.

The Project has three primary goals:

1) Every state and territory must provide legal representation to youth in foster care;
2) Youth voices must always be effectively heard in court; and
3) Former foster youth must have access to basic legal advice.

For more information, please click Project Activities, Staff, Partners and Collaborators.

What's New

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National Pathways to Adulthood Transitional Living and Independent Living Conference Bridges to the Future: Education, Employment, and Engagement | May 14-16, 2008 | Pittsburgh, PA

The American Bar Association Youth at Risk Commission, in partnership with Casey Family Programs and the Eckerd Foundation, has begun an exciting new Bar–Youth Empowerment Project to improve outcomes for youth as they age out of foster care. A central goal of the project is to collaborate with pro bono attorneys and law students to provide legal advice and referrals to youth on the verge of aging out or to youth who have already aged out. Roll-out of the ABA project and strategies on how practitioners might leverage local resources to establish similar work in their own jurisdictions will be discussed. Read more »»

The ABA Bar-Youth Empowerment Project Announces National Advisory Board

WASHINGTON, DC – The ABA Bar-Youth Empowerment Project has assembled a national advisory board. The board brings together legal, judicial, child welfare, pro bono, and youth representatives from around the country. Read more »»

The ABA Bar-Youth Empowerment Project Begins Work in First Pilot Site, Florida

FLORIDA – The ABA Bar-Youth Empowerment Project has selected its first mini-grant recipient, Florida’s Children First (FCF). To read more about FCF, please click here. Under the leadership of FCF, the ABA will work throughout the state of Florida to build the capacity of organizations in Florida to improve outcomes for youth before and after they age out of foster care. Read more »»

The ABA Commission on Youth at Risk Launches the Bar-Youth Empowerment Project at ABA Mid-Year Meeting

LOS ANGELES, CA. February 7, 2008 – The ABA’s Commission on Youth at Risk and Center on Children and the Law officially launched the Bar-Youth Empowerment project at a reception at the ABA’s midyear meeting in Los Angeles, CA. Read more »»

Legal & Judicial Resources

Attorneys and judges can play a critical role in achieving better outcomes for youth in and aging out of foster care. Both while youth are in the child welfare system, and upon their exit from care, attorneys and judges can make a difference. The Bar-Youth Empowerment Project aims to help judges and lawyers better respond to the needs of youth in and transitioning from care by offering them training about the importance of involving youth in the dependency and transition process. Through its pilot sites, the project will also provide training and resources for attorneys to provide pro bono legal assistance to youth who have transitioned from care.

Please click on each of the following links for resources and information about:

Youth Resources

There are a lot of things to think about and do when you leave foster care. You may be applying to go to college or looking for a job. You may be renting your first apartment or opening your first bank account. You may want to talk to other people who have gone through the same thing. Below are some resources that will help you make the transition to moving out on your own a little easier and connect you to some organizations that may be helpful along the way.