Transition Age Youth Online Training Series

Join NACC November 18-20 for its Transition Age Youth Online Training Series! This series will provide child welfare law attorneys, judges, and advocates guidance on how to best serve older youth as they transition out of foster care systems.

The online training sessions will cover: federal and state legal developments, fighting discrinatory practices and the school-to-prison pipeline, collaborating to better advocate for youth involved in multiple systems, strategies and tools to demand accountability on clients’ behalf, and other topics. More details below. We hope you’ll register and join us!

Wednesday, November 18 

12:00 – 1:30pm ET – The Legal Landscape for Transition-Age Youth: Recent Developments & Emerging Issues 

Jenny Pokempner 

The legal landscape affecting transition-age youth continues to evolve. This session will provide an update on recent federal and state legal developments affecting older youth and young adults in foster care and transitioning from care. Jenny Pokempner will explore developments related to the Family First Prevention Services Act, Extended Foster Care, the Chafee Program, the Fostering the Future Initiative along with recent federal guidance and emerging appellate decisions. Participants will consider what these developments mean for eligibility, services, permanency, and advocacy—and identify legal issues to watch as they represent and support transition-age youth. 

3:00 – 4:30pm ET – “Dangerous” Behavior: How the Discriminatory Use of Threat Appraisals in Schools Fuels to School-to-Prison Pipeline

Elie, Zwiebel, He/him, JD, Student Defense Alliance 

Lynnie, Lucas, she/her, JD, Student Defense Alliance, Zwiebel & Lucas Law 

Threat appraisals are intended to avert school violence by identifying students manifesting potentially concerning behaviors without resorting to zero-tolerance policies. In reality, they function as an extralegal means of school pushout, particularly for students with disabilities, whose disability-related behaviors are deemed a safety risk, without appropriate documentation or due process. Students should receive extra protections from suspension or expulsion through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but informal pushout through threat appraisals circumvents these procedures. Threat appraisal teams also often include law enforcement pushing students with disabilities into the criminal legal system. Attendees will learn how to fight against these discriminatory practices. 

Thursday, November 19 

12:00 – 1:30pm ET – One Youth, Two Systems: Turning Collaboration into Better Outcomes for Dual Status Youth 

Dual status youth – those involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justices systems—navigate trauma, instability, and fragmented support that often disrupts their path to safety and accountability. This session examines Indiana’s dual status model, highlighting Marion County’s specialized court and the Dual Status Assessment Team (DSAT), which brings both systems together to make informed, child centered decisions. Participants will explore how the law was created, how the model functions in practice, and why it is leading to stronger, more positive outcomes for youth.

3:00 – 4:30pm ET – Navigating the Fostering Connections Act: Tools & Strategies for Cross-Agency Success by Redefining Accountability in Foster Youth Education Stability 

Despite legal mandates for educational protection, significant achievement gaps persist for foster youth, indicating systemic breakdowns. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 requires a case plan to ensure educational stability, but this raises a critical question: In systems involving multiple agencies, who is definitively responsible for creating and implementing this plan? This compelling session will address this vital issue head-on. We will explore practical strategies, clarify roles and responsibilities across involved agencies, and equip advocates with the tools to demand accountability.  We will redefine advocacy roles and ensure that “educational stability” becomes a lived reality rather than a bureaucratic checkbox. 

Friday, November 20 

12:00 – 1:30pm ET – TBD