2014 News and Events
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December 2014 – The American Bar Association (ABA) Journal (December
2014) featured an article on rehoming of adopted children that included comments from Professor Barbara A. Babb about the challenges of matching parents and children in the adoption process. -
December 2014 – The Winter 2014 edition of CFCC’s e-newsletter, Full Court Press, was released.
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The issue focuses on the many indicators of progress that has been made to improve
the lives of families and children.
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The issue focuses on the many indicators of progress that has been made to improve
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November 2014 – A longtime supporter of CFCC, the Charles Crane Family
Foundation, was honored as the 2014 Foundation of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).- Professor Barbara A. Babb was featured in the commemorative video .
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November 2014 – CFCC received a $60,000 grant from the Charles Crane Family Foundation.
- CFCC has received a $60,000 grant from the Charles Crane Family Foundation to support the operation of the Truancy Court Program (TCP) in four Baltimore City Public Schools for the 2015–2016 academic year. This grant is particularly meaningful for CFCC because the Crane Foundation was the TCP’s first funder, in 2004. The foundation very generously has funded the program every year since that time.
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November 2014 – CFCC received a $25,000 new grant from State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship Program.
- For the second year in a row, the State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship Program has awarded a grant to support a series of three financial literacy workshops for parents and three workshops for students participating in CFCC’s Truancy Court Program (TCP) at Reginald F. Lewis High School of Business and Law. TCP staff and CFCC Student Fellows (second- and third-year law students enrolled in CFCC’s Student Fellows Program) have developed and have taught three workshops for parents and three workshops for students at the school. State Farm agents David Rosario, John Buggs and Tom Benisch have served as presenters at several of the workshops.
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October 2014 – Prof. Barbara Babb guest edited the October 2014 Family Court Review.
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October 2014 – Professor Barbara Babb writes “Family Courts Are Here to Stay. So Let’s Improve Them,” which appeared in the Family Court Review(October 2014) and focuses on the family court’s mission, function and structure.
- CFCC’s Director, Professor Barbara Babb, has authored an invited response to a phite Paper on how family courts address separating and divorcing families, published by the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System’s Honoring Families Initiative. The article, “Family Courts Are Here to Stay, So Let’s Improve Them,” which appears in the Family Court Review (October 2014), focuses on the family court’s mission, function and structure. Given the increasing numbers of people using the courts to resolve their family legal disputes, the article demonstrates that there is a critical need to structure or restructure family courts so that they are as helpful to children and family as possible. Professor Babb also guest edited the October 2014 issue of Family Court Review.
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October 2014 – CFCC hosted an exhibit featuring photography from Morocco by Sayra Wells Meyerhoff, J.D. '78, M.S. '04.
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August/September 2014 – CFCC's Fall 2014 Truancy Court Program (TCP) began in five Baltimore City Public Schools, including two high schools.
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August 2014 – Professor Barbara A. Babb was featured in the cover story of the August Maryland Family Law Monthly article entitled, “Say you want an
evolution/ Family-law educators opt for less adversarial, more holistic approach”. -
August 2014 – In response to a Baltimore Sun article “Raising attendance rates in Baltimore City schools,” the Sun published a comment from Professor Barbara A. Babb and Senior Fellow Gloria Danziger about the success of CFCC’s Truancy Court Program.
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July 2014 - CFCC publishes the 14th issue of its Unified Family Court Connection newsletter.
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This 14th issue celebrates the 15th anniversary of Maryland's Family Divisions with articles about the innovative and positive results of their implementation. The newsletter includes the following articles:
- “A Tribute to the Honorable Robert M. Bell, the Leader of Maryland’s Family Divisions” by Judge Clayton Greene, Jr.
- “Family Divisions Have Flourished in Fifteen Years and Have More to Accomplish” by Judge Cathy Hollenberg Serrette
- “Unified Family Courts Offer a Healthy Roadmap for Families” by Risa Garon
- “Celebrating the Evolution of the Family Divisions in Maryland” by Yolanda F. Sonnier and Kendra Randall Jolivet
For a paper copy of the newsletter or to be added to the mailing list, please email cfcc@ubalt.edu .
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June 25, 2014 - Truancy Court Program Principal’s Workshop
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CFCC held a principals’ workshop for school administrators interested to apply for its Truancy Court Program for the 2014-2015 school year. The workshop included presentations from TCP staff, Dr. Beshon Trusty-Smith (Manager, BCPS Office of Attendance and Truancy), school administrators from current TCP schools, and TCP judges. The event was attended by over 39 principals and school administrators from over 30 schools. To learn more about the TCP, please visit the Truancy Court Program webpage.
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June 4, 2014 - First Lady’s Reception for Truancy Court Program Graduates and Their Families
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Judge Catherine Curran O’Malley, First Lady of Maryland and a CFCC Truancy Court Program judge, hosted a celebration and recognition ceremony for Baltimore City and Montgomery County Truancy Court Program graduates and their families at the Executive House in Annapolis.
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June 2014 – CFCC publishes Families Matter: Recommendations to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families in Court.
- CFCC has published Families Matter: Recommendations to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families in Court , a report based on the Families Matter Symposium. CFCC convened the symposium in June 2010 to bring together an interdisciplinary group of family law experts to identify problems regarding the practice of family law and to make recommendations about promising solutions. The report identifies more than a dozen measures that can help develop a family justice system with an interdisciplinary, holistic, and therapeutic focus.
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May 28-31, 2014 – Professor Barbara Babb and CFCC Senior Fellow Gloria Danziger presented at the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts’ (AFCC) 51st Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada.
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Professor Babb and Ms. Danziger presented a workshop, “Many Shades of Gray: How to Identify Benchmarks for Your Family Court,” at AFCC’s 51st Annual Conference, Navigating the Waters of Shared Parenting: Guidance from the Harbour, in Toronto.
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May 15, 2014 - Baltimore's WMAR TV aired a prominent story on truancy in Baltimore City, highlighting CFCC's Truancy Court Program (TCP).
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May 14, 2014 – The Juvenile Justice Information Exchange published an article on CFCC’s Truancy Court Program by Gary Gately entitled, “Mock Court Gets Truant Students Back in the Classroom.”
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Gary Gately outlines the TCP’s therapeutic and holistic approach to address truancy and explores the deeper issues that emerge in CFCC’s fight to keep students in school. Gately’s interviews with CFCC Director Barbara Babb, TCP Judge Master Joyce Mitchell, and TCP staff present some of the challenges faced by many Baltimore City school children.
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April 3, 2014 - CFCC’s 6th Annual Urban Child Symposium
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This year’s symposium, "Social Media and the Urban Child: The Effects of the Digital Age," featured panels on:
The Social Media Landscape and Its Effects on Individuals, Families, and Communities
The Law, Social Media and the Urban Child
Pros and Cons – Parents and Children
For more information and videos from the event, please visit our Urban Child Symposiumpage.
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March 26, 2014 – CFCC Director, Professor Barbara Babb, was featured on WYPR’s Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast
- Professor Barbara Babb discussed the impact of social media on children during Sheilah Kast’s Maryland Morning segment. Professor Babb also talked about the risks and benefits of social media and about CFCC’s sixth Urban Child Symposium, “Social Media and the Urban Child: The Effects of the Digital Age."
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February 19, 2014 – CFCC submitted written testimony in support of proposed legislation (House Bill 363: Truant Students--System of Active Intervention--Requirements)
- CFCC submitted written testimony in support of proposed legislation that calls for each Maryland county board of education to develop and implement a system of active intervention for truant students. The bill’s proposal is consistent with CFCC’s Truancy Court Program, including the establishment of an individualized reengagement plan for each truant student. You can read CFCC’s testimony here .
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January/February 2014 - Truancy Court Program Orientations
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Truancy Court Program (TCP) Orientations for the spring 2014 session took place in 10 TCP Schools in Baltimore City and Montgomery County.
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January 30-31, 2014 - CFCC Director Barbara Babb served as keynote speaker at the Maine State Bar Association 2014 Access to Justice Symposium and Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine
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Professor Babb spoke as a panelist for the “Relations and Rights: Emerging Issues for Maine Families” session on January 30 and as the keynote plenary speaker for the Maine State Bar Association 2014 Annual Meeting on January 31. Her presentation was entitled “Family Justice System Reform.” For more information, please visit the Maine State Bar Association website.
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January 2014 – CFCC received a $43,172 grant from the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention
- This grant will fund the addition of a lawyer to the Truancy Court Program. This position will work with the TCP’s coordinators, social workers, mentors, teachers, school administrators, and support staff to identify, analyze, and address legal issues and problems affecting TCP families.