NCYL and Las Vegas Officials Agree to Mediation in Attempt to Resolve Foster Care Reform Case

The National Center for Youth Law and Clark County, NV (Las Vegas) child welfare officials have begun mediation to try and settle NCYL's lawsuit to force improvements in the County's child welfare system.

The first mediation session was held in Las Vegas Feb. 9 – 11. The mediators, agreed upon by both sides, are District Judge William G. Jones of Charlotte, NC and Judy Meltzer, deputy director and vice president of the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington, DC. Judge Jones consults with private entities and state and federal government on issues of child abuse and domestic violence. He is currently a court monitor for implementation of Kenny A. v. Fulton County and Katie A. v Bonta, two foster care reform cases in Georgia and Los Angeles County, CA, respectively. He is also a federal reviewer for the US Department of Health and Human Services, doing annual evaluations of state child welfare systems. Judy Meltzer is currently mediating settlements in Missouri and Baltimore, MD. She is also a court-appointed monitor of reform settlements in Washington, DC and New Jersey.

NCYL filed suit in August 2006, citing extensive evidence that Clark County's foster care system is failing the children in its care. NCYL charges that numerous children have died from abuse and neglect due to the negligence of the County's Department of Family Services.

Among the specific problems cited in the lawsuit, Clark K. v. Willden, are:

• Lack of legal representation for children in dependency court proceedings
• High caseloads and inadequate caseworker training
• Inadequate child abuse investigations
• Inappropriate placements, insufficient foster parent recruitment efforts, lack of foster parent training or preparation, and little or no support or monitoring of foster parents
• Lack of responsiveness to complaints of abuse and neglect
• Failure to provide adequate educational services
• Severe overcrowding and unsafe conditions at Child Haven, an unlicensed shelter care facility

Co-counsel for plaintiffs are Farella, Braun + Martel of San Francisco and St. Helena, CA; and Wolfenzon Schulman, with offices in Las Vegas, Reno, San Diego, and Phoenix. Both firms are working on the case on a pro bono basis.