Tag: family defense
Rise Magazine: ‘I Was Scared for Anyone to Know I Was Pregnant’ – How to Protect Against Removal at Birth
“Parents can be charged with so-called “derivative neglect” of a newborn if a previous child entered foster care. Here, Emma Ketteringham, managing director of The Bronx Defenders’ Family Defense Project, explains how pregnant parents can get support and protect their rights.” Read the full Q & A here
The Appeal: Justice In America Episode 23: Criminalizing Mothers
Josie Duffy Rice and guest co-host Zak Cheney-Rice talk with Emma Ketteringham, the managing director of the Bronx Defenders Family Defense Practice, about the relationship between the criminal justice system and family court, and how together they can wreak havoc on American families. Listen to the full podcast here
New York Daily News: Poor and at risk of losing their kids: Moms and dads under ACS investigation deserve more legal help
“The City Council has proposed giving parents meaningful access to legal representation during an ACS investigation; like a suspect facing arrest, parents being investigated would have the chance to access legal help. Opponents of the bills claim access will make investigations more “adversarial,” even implying that children will be endangered. The first problem with this narrative is […]
The Chronicle of Social Change: More Services Or Better Legal Support For Accused Parents? New York Officials and Advocates Divided on What’s Best
“Some advocates who spoke to lawmakers last week rejected the notion that prevention programs were a panacea, and argued that lawmakers should focus instead on improving legal representation for parents. “We have to stop talking about preventive services,” testified Emma Ketteringham, a managing attorney for the legal aid group Bronx Defenders. “I’m not saying that’s […]
The Appeal: Parents Threatened With Losing Children Over Cannabis Use
“Ms. D, a mother of two living in the Bronx, smoked cannabis occasionally. She never smoked in front of her children, and her casual use never affected her ability to parent. So when a child protective investigator asked her if she smoked, Ms. D was forthcoming. After all, her children were healthy, happy, and well […]
Doin’ the Work: Defending Families Facing Child Removal – Asia Piña, MSW
“In this episode, I talk with Asia Piña, who is an Early Defense Social Worker for the Family Defense Practice at Bronx Defenders, in the Bronx, New York. Asia explains how she works with a team of social workers, parent advocates, and attorneys to best defend parents who are being charged with abuse and neglect […]
New York Times: A Child Bumps Her Head. What Happens Next Depends on Race
“When a child experiences a mild head injury and a parent seeks medical attention, what happens next in New York City seems to depend on the ZIP code and the color of the parent’s skin. In April, the actress Jenny Mollen, wife of the actor Jason Biggs and resident of Manhattan’s affluent West Village, announced on […]
Press Release: Family Advocacy Initiative Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 18, 2019 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org, (347) 842-1251 Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org (347) 592 -2579 Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service, smccann@ndsny.org, (212) 316-7399 Anne Conroy, Center for Family Representation, aconroy@cfrny.org, (646) 276-5634 NEW YORK – The Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem […]
Urban Matters: When Child Welfare Intrusion Makes Reproductive Freedom and Illusion
Our Fallon Speaker, Family Defense attorney, and Erin Cloud co-wrote an op-ed advocating for rethinking prevention and childcare advocacy. “Change must happen now. We can start by rejecting the notion that maternal “risk” can be predicted by poverty or Child Protective Services data. In both the child protective and criminal legal systems, there is a […]
The New Republic: The Crime of Parenting While Poor
“The whole existence of ACS lets us pretend that we’re protecting children.” Emma Ketteringham, our managing director of the Family Defense Practice, comments on how parents of color living in poverty are more likely to be overpoliced and criminalized just for parenting. Statistics show that parents living in poverty are unfairly scrutinized by the Administration […]