Florida needs to ensure that all foster children have legal representation | Column
The Legislature is considering a bill that would help reform how foster childrenâs legal needs are met.
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Florida s Guardian ad Litem volunteers are wonderful, well-intentioned people; many who have served our children have been fierce advocates and remain present in our childrenâs lives after their cases are resolved. But Floridaâs decades of experience shows that a volunteer driven system is incapable of achieving even 70% representation. [ Florida Guardian ad Litem ]
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As a foster parent for the last 11 years, I have seen first-hand many ways in which our well-intentioned system further traumatizes the children it is mandated to help. Sibling separation, placement changes without transition, services ordered but not provided, parents reunited without the support they need to help them keep their children safe and well at home are
Jacksonville attorney Carrington “Rusty” Madison Mead will receive the 2021 Pro Bono Award for the 4th Judicial Circuit from the state Supreme Court at a Jan. 28 ceremony in Tallahassee.
He was nominated for the award by Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association and the state Guardian ad Litem Office.
A volunteer with JALA for almost 20 years Mead has participated in civil legal assistance clinics, group information clinics and Ask-A-Lawyer free legal advice clinics.
Mead donated almost 470 hours of pro bono time through his assistance with about 80 outreach and clinic events and almost 80 full representation cases.
He is a founding member of the Florida Association of LGBT Lawyers and Allies. He helped create the bimonthly Name Change Clinic and serves as the expert resource for the assistance program.