About Us

Child Advocacy Central — Helping People Help Youth

• Current Staff and Board Members
• Advisory Board Members
• Friends of the Board

The Child Advocacy Central internet project developed through the merging of goals of two distinct Washington advocacy groups, the University of Washington Child Advocacy Clinic and the Washington State Children's Justice Interdisciplinary Task Force (CJITF). The latter is a statewide organization of individuals appointed by the Secretary of DSHS to improve child welfare practice in Washington. The members are leaders in every conceivable child welfare discipline and represent geographical locations all over the state.

The University of Washington School of Law created the Child Advocacy Clinic (CAC) in 1996 with the mission of "Providing the best for Washington children and their advocates in the legal system." Following this mission, the law school established a Child Advocacy program that includes a child advocacy class and a clinical experience for law students. Through the class, students learn the basics of the child advocacy system in the State of Washington. Through the Clinic, law students learn how to advocate for victims of child abuse and neglect by handling dependency hearings and trials. The program prioritizes multi-disciplinary collaboration and encourages students to continue their interest in children's rights by finding a career in this area.

The CJITF and the Child Advocacy Clinic realized they shared a similar goal of improving the lives of Washington's youngest victims by providing information to those who live and work in the child welfare realm. In November 2002, with input from the CJITF, the Department of Social and Health Services, Children's Administration invested a portion of a federal grant in the Child Advocacy Clinic for the development of two innovative one-stop shop child welfare Web sites for the State of Washington. The primary site for people who live and work in the child abuse and neglect arena is Child Advocacy Central (ChildAdCentral.org). The youth site for adolescents in the child abuse and neglect system is Foster Youth Central (FYCentral.org). Together, these Web sites target anyone who participates as a service provider, client, advocate or care provider in the child abuse and neglect arena.

The goal of both Web sites is to provide relevant, timely information in an easy to understand format. This presentation will give adults the means to help youth and families facing challenges due to child abuse and neglect. It will also give youth the opportunity to understand more of what is happening in their lives. In part, content for both sites will include community resources, legal information, information for understanding the child welfare system as a whole, and information to allow people to help themselves when they need it. Knowledge is power.

This project has developed in collaboration with the Northwest Institute for Children and Families at the University of Washington School of Social Work. This ensures that the Web sites will have varied content and that review of content by both lawyers and social workers will provide expertise in two main content areas as well as diverse consideration of the presentation of information.

Current Staff and Board Members

Staff/Faculty

Professor Lisa Kelly, Director of the UW School of Law Child Advocacy Clinic

Kim Ambrose,
Supervising Attorney of the UW School of Law Child Advocacy Clinic

Nancy Woodland,
Project Manager, Child Advocacy Central and Foster Youth Central Web sites

Kathy Brennan,
Northwest Institute for Children and Families

Advisory Board Members

Katharine Cahn, Recording Secretary
Director, NW Institute for Children and Families

Patricia Clark
Superior Court Judge

James Doerty
Superior Court Judge

Michael Curtis
Analyst, King County Superior Court, Juvenile Court Services

Diane Dorsey
Assistant Attorney General

Laura Haddad, Chair
MSW, Attorney

Linda Katz
Program Manager
Dependency CASA Program

Lois Schipper
Public Health Nurse

Katherine Stelter Belisle
Public Defender
Society of Counsel Representing Accused Persons

Charlotte Van Dyke, Chair Elect
Attorney at Law

Susan Weiss
Director of Community and Alumni Relations at Casey Family Programs

Nancy Woodland,
Attorney, Website Project Manager

Robert Wyman Jr.
The Defender Association

Friends of the Board

Charles Z. Smith
Justice, Washington State Supreme Court

Michele Jones, Founding Director
Columbia Legal Services

Carol Farr
Leonard Moen and Associates

Dennis Ichikawa
Child Welfare Public Policy Professional at Casey Family Program