Social Work
In addition to providing excellent legal services, we address the education, health, and financial needs of our clients. Our Social Work team meets children at critical times in their lives, providing them with emergency assessments, safety plans, clinical support, and other high-quality services as needed.
Jonathan and Sylvia
What causes an 8-year-old to say that he thinks about stabbing himself? In the case of our client Jonathan, he thought about it for the first time when he heard his mother blame him for everything.
Jonathan’s parents were locked in a custody battle. Sometimes, he felt that things would be easier for everyone if he was gone. When Jonathan shared his feelings with his attorney, he was referred to one of our social workers. During their interview, Jonathan disclosed that he didn’t want to go home with his mother. He needed a break. Our social worker conducted a suicide risk assessment and put together a safety plan for Jonathan.
That same evening, another one of our social worker’s clients arrived—and they, too, needed immediate attention.
6 year-old Sylvia required a sex abuse assessment. Sylvia lived with her mom, and her mom’s boyfriend stayed over occasionally. Sylvia had told her AFC that she sometimes “cuddles” with her mom’s boyfriend. Given that there is a history of sexual abuse allegations in Sylvia’s family, the AFC referred Sylvia to our social worker to talk to someone right away. Since the social worker working with Jonathan was not available, another social worker jumped in to help Sylvia.
By the end of the evening, Jonathan felt safe and supported enough to return home with his mother, and our second social worker was able to assess that Sylvia had thankfully not been sexually abused.
This story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we work as a true team—stepping in for one another, communicating seamlessly and always placing our clients’ safety and well-being first.
Katy
When our social worker first met Katy, engagement was challenging. Katy presents with echolalia, which is when an individual repeats words or phrases they hear, sometimes as a way to process language or communicate. Questions were met with repetition, words looping back instead of moving forward. There was difficulty understanding how our client truly felt.
Our social worker slowed down. She recalibrated. During their next meeting, she brought out CLC’s neurodivergent toolkit, specifically the visual communication cards, offering a different doorway into the conversation. And everything shifted! Through the cards, Katy was able to describe what visits with her father were like. There was understanding.
When a child finds a way to be truly heard, it doesn’t just change the moment or meeting they’re in—it changes their story.
Jesinia
In Brooklyn, ten-year-old Jesinia told her attorney and social worker that she wanted to die. The conflict in her home and the pressures of her exposure to violence were intense. Once she began talking to her attorney, it became clear that she had been struggling with her mental health for several years.
Our social worker conducted an immediate suicide risk assessment, listening to her concerns. Eventually, our client agreed to allow us to include her mother in developing a safety plan, but she wanted her attorney and social worker to talk to her mom on her behalf. Ultimately, everyone worked together to plan and link Jesinia to therapy.
John
In Brooklyn, we were conducting an in-person interview with John when things escalated. John began exhibiting violent ideations about harming and even killing his father. Our staff acted quickly as a team. We made a safety plan with John and his mother and set up an emergency therapy session with his therapist for the same night. John had been going to supervised visits and becoming very dysregulated.
With limited time until the next court date, our staff conducted emergency collateral interviews and prepared an oral argument for court to suspend the father’s visits pending a forensic evaluation. The Judge agreed to suspend contact pending the evaluation, in line with John’s best interests.