ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Fiscal Year 2019 ANNUAL REPORT | PAGE 1 Our mission is to protect the rights of children in poverty and those overcoming abuse and neglect by delivering free legal services, supportive programs and systemic solutions. A MESSAGE FROM OUR 2018-2019 BOARD CO-CHAIRS Rick Rosen & Chris B. Walther For too many children in California who lack Thanks to this community, children and the basic necessities—security, healthcare, families that come to us in distress receive and education—reality falls short of the the aid of our tireless professional advocates, promise of childhood. The Alliance helps who rectify the challenges they face, without make up the gap by providing legal charging any fees for this vital work. representation, supportive services, and policy solutions to help children and young Our vision is a world in which all children have adults find the nurturing conditions they safe, permanent families with the support deserve. they need to thrive. Thank you for standing with us, for the many generous contributions, The breadth and effectiveness of our and for sharing in our vision to help us advocacy would not be possible without accomplish so much this year. the steadfast commitment of our pro bono attorneys, partner foundations, donors, colleagues, and allies. 2019 ANNUAL REPORT | PAGE 3 A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO Jennifer L. Braun in schools, administrative agencies, and the courts. And while we’re clearing barriers for these individual clients, we’re also collaborating to better the systems that impact them. This is an exciting time for child advocates in California. The state is a model of compassionate child welfare reform, thanks to our hard-won policy victories to support stability and wellbeing for young people. However, to deliver on the promise of those It is my great pleasure to share with you this reforms, children, youth, and families need our 2019 Annual Report, reflecting the deep and ongoing support. We are continuing to work lasting impact of the Alliance in the lives of to ensure that all young people in foster care, children and young adults. including parenting youth, tribal youth, and We represent children who have experienced youth attempting to navigate multiple systems, foster care or need guardianships. Every story have what they need before they transition out is different, but each child is healing from of the system and are on their own. hardship. In these pages, we have chosen to In all of these efforts, we are a true alliance, highlight a few examples from among the 6,505 made up of our extraordinary board, volunteers, children and youth who we served this year. community partners, philanthropic foundations When we meet our clients, they often are and individuals, and staff. My appreciation for struggling to sort out confusing bureaucracies, your commitment is boundless. Thank you so with limited resources and while balancing a much for being a part of our life-changing work. myriad of complicated needs. That’s where the Alliance comes in. We are advocates, clearing barriers for children, youth, and the families who step up for them – representing them PAGE 4 | ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS Thank you with all my heart to the amazing legal team that made a life-changing difference for me and my granddaughter. They relieved so many of my fears and worries and helped Lyric get everything she needed! Without legal protection from the Alliance, our life together would not be possible.” -Imelda 2019 ANNUAL REPORT | PAGE 5 6,505 35% 37% 28% 0-5 6-17 18+ 65% of our clients 15% speak only GUARDIANSHIP have special needs. Spanish. ASSISTANCE THE ALLIANCE SERVED 35% OF ALL CHILDREN HELPED BY LEGAL AID ORGANIZATIONS IN CALIFORNIA LAST YEAR. Pro Bono partners (over 100 firms) donated over 27,000 hours worth over $11.5 M. SERVICES FOR ADOPTIONS FROM TRANSITION-AGE FOSTER CARE YOUTH 957 1602 CLIENTS SERVED BY PROGRAM SUPPORTIVE AREA BENEFITS GUARDIANSHIP 813 ASSISTANCE 313 HEALTHCARE EDUCATION ACCESS SERVICES 289 959 Pro Bono partners (over 100 firms) donated over 27,000 hours worth over $11.5 M. We trained 9,057 court, agency, school, and community partners to help them better provide for young people in foster care. Sophie's Story Adoption is a joyful event that marks the Sophie has special hearing and learning end of a child’s time in foster care and needs that require weekly therapies. the creation of a “forever family.” But to However, Sophie and her grandmother hit heal the wounds of abuse and neglect, a barrier when the local regional center our clients need continued support denied Sophie the speech, language and beyond adoption day, when their foster occupational therapy that she needs, care case concludes. Many families who saying they could not find an appropriate have chosen permanency struggle to provider. Although Sophie’s foster care access supports that are essential to case was closed, the Alliance and our pro children’s development. That is why we bono legal team that handled Sophie’s are piloting a new approach to providing adoption stayed by the family’s side, advocacy services post-adoption, challenging the denial of services. Their through the power of our extended pro sustained advocacy obtained the speech bono network. and learning therapies Sophie requires. Sophie entered her grandmother’s Thanks to their ongoing attentiveness to care, and the foster care system, at the Sophie’s developing needs, today Sophie time of her birth. The Alliance helped is thriving in the care of her grandmother, Sophie’s grandmother legally adopt learning to read and write alongside her her, to provide them with permanency kindergarten classmates. and stability as they navigate Sophie’s childhood together. Leo and Daniel’s Story Leo came to our attention after he workforce program where he was accidentally discharged a loaded able to resume his construction shotgun in the backseat of his career. And we continue to offer mother’s car, thinking that it was a Daniel and other young fathers a toy. place to connect with each other, with educational opportunities, with Leo was physically unharmed, but parenting resources, and with legal a subsequent investigation led to services to sustain them and their Leo and his siblings being removed young families. from their mother’s care. They were placed with their father, Daniel, a This young father exemplifies the young man who had aged out of resilience and gratitude of our young foster care himself. adult clients, many of whom grew up without the support of family, Daniel desperately wanted to raise and require only our attention and his children, but he was homeless effort to find steady footing as and without resources. An Alliance independent adults. social worker provided the family with food, diapers, housing Today, the young family is stable assistance, and emergency care and thriving, and they express their kits. She stayed in touch with the ongoing appreciation to the Alliance family on a daily basis. She even for helping them build a future was able to help Daniel enter a together. PAGE 10 | ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS We recovered $1.26m in benefits so that children have the support and services they need to thrive. 2019 ANNUAL REPORT | PAGE 11 959 clients gained timely intervention and education services to help them overcome obstacles, learn, and build a brighter future. PAGE 12 | ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS Lucy's Story As many as half of our young clients therapies to help Lucy thrive; we were experience developmental delays also able to win retroactive services for resulting from early childhood neglect. Lucy to help her catch up. This early For those children, the Alliance is often intervention during the critical months of the only recourse to help them obtain Lucy’s early childhood, while her brain is timely interventions that make a world still developing, can make a life changing of difference over the course of their difference for Lucy, and for Lucy’s future lifetimes. family. When Lucy was born, she had We also ascertained that Lucy’s foster been exposed to alcohol and family was not receiving the full support methamphetamines, and was placed to which they were entitled to help with a foster family. Before she entered them care for Lucy. Through effective her toddler years, Lucy began to show advocacy, we ensured Lucy was properly signs of delays affecting her development assessed for specialized supports, and motor skills. Her explosive behaviors resulting in additional funding that is stemming from frustration made it difficult projected to provide Lucy with the for her to participate in preschool. behavioral therapies that she needs over the projected course of her childhood. Lucy’s foster family struggled to get her Lucy’s family now will be able to access properly assessed for the developmental the services, activities, and, resources she therapy that could help her. The Alliance needs for a healthy future. stepped in, seeking a hearing to clear the roadblocks the family was facing. Not only did we gain access to developmental 2019 ANNUAL REPORT | PAGE 13 BOARD OF DIRECTORS FY2018-19 Co-Chairs Secretary Treasurer Rick Rosen Phillip Rudolph Trent Copeland WME Jack in the Box, Inc. Law Offices of Trent Copeland Chris B. Walther Activision Blizzard Matthew Babrick Barbara Grushow Susan Saltz First Republic Investment Barbara Grushow Designs Child Advocate and Film Producer Management Angie Harmon José F. Sanchez Peter Benedek Actress and Child Advocate Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited United Talent Agency Yasmine D. Johnson Toni M. Schulman James P. Clark Co-Founder, Alliance of Moms Child Advocate Chief Deputy to the L.A. City Attorney Jo Kaplan Pamela Soper Dena Cook Commissioner, L.A.