Providing Legal Representation

CCA attorneys are representing children who are unsafe at home, in school or in the community – children who are victimized by child abuse, dangerous housing conditions, bullying and discrimination in school, and unmet health needs.

CCA recently kicked off a new and innovative medical-legal partnership with the Yale Child Study Center, where a CCA attorney works with behavioral health providers to ensure that children with emotional disabilities, who are at increased risk of being victims of violence, receive the supports and services they are legally entitled to. Read more about CCA’s Medical-Legal Partnerships here.

Collaborating with Communities to Prevent Community Violence

Children and youth who are involved in community violence have often been failed by the systems set up to help them – the education, behavioral health, juvenile justice and social service systems. CCA is collaborating with more than 25 community organizations on the City of Hartford’s Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention Work Group to improve responses to the needs of youth who are at risk of involvement in a violent incident. For more information, contact Martha Stone.

Replacing Punitive Control with Restorative Justice

Juvenile detention centers and residential facilities have traditionally relied on an oppressive system of punitive consequences to control youth who live in those facilities. These punitive consequences take the place of more therapeutic responses that could address the root causes of the misbehavior and teach youth interpersonal skills and alternatives to conflict. CCA is spearheading a trailblazing effort with the State Judicial Branch and DCF to implement a new paradigm inside residential facilities in Connecticut, based on restorative justice. Restorative justice practices are focused on healing harm and building community, and help youth develop skills to avoid future conflict. View a video about the results of CCA’s restorative justice advocacy here. 

Partnering with the Private Bar to Protect Immigrant Children

Undocumented immigrant children who have been abandoned or abused may be eligible to remain safely in the U.S. and be protected from being deported to life-threatening conditions, through a Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). CCA is expanding its SIJS pro bono program to serve children and youth from across Connecticut. CCA provides volunteer attorneys with training and technical assistance as they represent immigrant children to help them gain SIJS. This expansion was made possible by a special grant from the Connecticut Bar Foundation. For more information about the SIJS pro bono program, contact Sabrina Tavi.

Advocating for Safety in School

Research from Harvard's Center on the Developing Child shows that persistent fear and toxic stress has damaging effects on learning, behavior, and health across a child’s lifespan. Schools should be nurturing environments where students feel safe enough to focus on learning, ask questions and explore their interests. But youth report that the presence of police in schools makes them feel unsafe, and schools’ practice of punishing young children’s misbehavior by excluding them from participation in their classrooms makes children feel abandoned and unsupported. CCA is advocating for systemic reforms to reduce police presence in schools and eliminate the use of suspensions and expulsions to respond to behavior problems of young schoolchildren. Read CCA’s argument for eliminating exclusionary discipline here. 

Helping Children Speak Up

Children who are silenced are vulnerable to victimization and abuse. CCA helps children and youth speak up for themselves, with legal rights training, videos and publications. See CCA’s publications for children and youth here. 

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