\;Child Welfare and Child Advocacy Section 2026 Update<
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Presented by the Child Welfare and Advocacy Section of The Mississippi Bar
\nWednesday\, November 18 - 9:00am to 12:00pm
Location:
The Supreme Court Gartin Justice Building\, 450 High St reet\, Jackson\, MS
\nZoom (Link will be provided in your co
nfirmation email)
Agenda:
\n9:00 am Agency Panel
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The agency reps will discuss what their respective agencies are doin g because of the Youth Court Reform Act\, recent legislative appropriation s\, and recent agency policy changes including uniform intake and pre-disp osition protocols\, high-quality independent legal representation for chil dren and families\, agency directed pre-petition assessment\, statewide di version\, truancy\, expanded and dedicated prevention programs and service s\, uniform crossover youth protocol\, modern technology for youth courts and agencies\, access to justice\, and efforts to \; maximize federal funding. \;
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Josh Bromen\, Department of Public Safety
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Chad King\, Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services
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Toni Kersch\, Mississippi Department of Human Serv ices\, Division of Youth Services
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Brenda Locke and Jennifer Morgan\, Office of State Publi c Defender
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Wendy Shelton and Abby Young\, Administrati ve Office of Courts
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The judges will di scuss how courts are adapting to the recent legislative changes including uniform intake and pre-disposition protocols\, agency-directed pre-petitio n assessment\, open courtrooms\, as well as recent agency policy changes\; the impact these changes are having on child welfare and delinquency liti gation\, etc. They will also discuss the move to full-time\, dedicated\, t rained judges and staff including the addition of 9 new youth court chance llors July 1\, 2027.
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Judge Tiffany Kilpatrick\, County Court Judge Lafayette County\, Co-chai r of the Family Services Forum and Chair of the Youth Court Judges Council
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The legislato rs will discuss the key provisions of the Youth Court Act\, nearly $50 mil lion in recent state appropriations to support youth court\, child welfare and juvenile justice\, the states&rsquo\; efforts to maximize federal fun ding for these systems\, and the creation of a new Mississippi Children\, Youth &\; Family Resource Directory is a centralized\, searchable digit al platform that connects children\, juveniles\, young adults\, parents\, caregivers\, educators\, case managers\, social workers\, law-enforcement professionals\, courts\, healthcare providers\, and community organization s with verified support services across the state.
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Representative Kevin Horan\, Chairman H ouse Judiciary B Committee
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Senator Brice Wiggins\, Chairman Senate Judiciary A Committee
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Registration Fee:
\n$75 for Child Welfare and Advocacy Section Members\; $1 50 for non-section members
\n*Statements and opinions expr essed in this CLE are those of the presenter(s). \;The Bar does not e ndorse any views expressed therein.
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