Special Announcements
In addition to New York State Social Work CE, this program also offers California Social Work CE credit for Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs). Please email a request to PLICredits@pli.edu if you would like California Social Work CE credit for this program.

Why You Should Attend
Child welfare and juvenile justice practice demands more than legal knowledge — it requires practitioners to navigate intersecting systems, evolving court structures, and complex ethical terrain, all while advocating for clients at their most vulnerable. Whether you represent children, parents, or agencies, in private practice, government, or public interest work, the stakes are high and the legal landscape is constantly shifting.

PLI's 29th Annual Children's Law Institute brings together leading practitioners, judges, and advocates to address the issues that matter most to Family Court practitioners today. From the latest case law in neglect, abuse, and termination of parental rights to the emerging procedural framework of the Youth Part, from federal school stability protections for foster youth to the ethical obligations that arise when you witness misconduct in the courtroom — this program delivers the substantive updates and practical tools you need to represent your clients with confidence and integrity.

What You Will Learn
After completing this program, participants will be able to:

• Summarize recent case law in neglect/abuse, custody, and termination of parental rights cases, and identify key legislative and regulatory developments affecting juvenile delinquency proceedings
• Navigate the procedural and substantive framework of the Youth Part of Family Court, and apply best practices for client representation at each stage of a Youth Part proceeding
• Explain the federal legal framework governing school stability for students in foster care, including agency responsibilities, best-interest determinations, and the role of the judiciary
• Identify and apply the professional responsibility obligations that arise when attorneys in child welfare and juvenile justice matters become aware of misconduct by other system actors.

Who Should Attend
This program will benefit child, parent and family advocates working in the private or public sector in New York State, in law, social work or public policy.

PLI offers full scholarships, registration fee waivers, and discounts to attend PLI programs for attorneys, paralegals, law librarians, and staff working for nonprofit/legal services organizations; pro bono attorneys/volunteers (providing no-fee legal assistance to clients individually or through a nonprofit organization); government attorneys; judges and judicial law clerks; law professors and law students; retired attorneys; independent/freelance paralegals; unemployed attorneys; and others with financial hardships. Learn more here.