The Massachusetts Bar Association’s Juvenile & Child Welfare Law Section is excited to present its Eighth Annual Juvenile & Child Welfare Conference on Thursday, April 10, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at the UTEC Center in Lowell. This conference will focus on youth justice and child protection issues related to geographical and educational segregation.
The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, ruling that segregated schools violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, turned 70 in 2024. This conference will consider the legacy and the future of Brown as it informs barriers to school achievement in Massachusetts. The conference will begin with a plenary panel discussing the state of racial and economic segregation in Massachusetts and some of the pathways forward.
This year's keynote speaker will be Dulcineia (“Duci”) Goncalves, deputy chief counsel of the Youth Advocacy Division for the Committee for Public Counsel Services. Driven by a passion to advocate for youth and challenge the inequities within the legal and educational systems, Goncalves has dedicated her professional career to being a public defender.
As deputy chief counsel, Goncalves provides leadership, training, support and oversight to nine staff offices across Massachusetts and approximately 300 private attorneys accepting appointments for cases in juvenile court. She also serves as a senior leader of a nonprofit, the Youth Advocacy Foundation, which is focused on shutting down the school-to-prison pipeline.
Goncalves is a recipient of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s 2012 Access to Justice Defender Award. In 2019, she was appointed by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee.
Other conference highlights will include:
- Current issues in immigration for juvenile court attorneys
- Representing transition-age youth
- Emerging adults
Full agenda to be announced!
Do not miss this exclusive opportunity to network with colleagues, program faculty, and the leaders of the juvenile and child welfare bar.
Register
Special pricing of $50 is available for practitioners on the CAFL, YAD, and Mental Health Litigation Division panels, and members of the Essex County Bar Association and the Greater Lynn Bar Association. Email education@massbar.org to register and receive the special pricing.
Registration for the conference is required by noon on Monday, April 7.