Children’s Advocacy Clinic

The Children's Advocacy Clinic (CAC) is an innovative multidisciplinary clinical setting in which law students and graduate social work students represent children in the legal system. The clinic provides students with the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on training serving children and advocating for policy issues related to children in the welfare system. Under the supervision of Clinical Professor Lucy Johnston-Walsh, law students represent children who are abused and/or neglected as well as those involved in other civil court actions such as adoption, domestic violence, and custody matters.

In providing a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to addressing children's needs, students are given the opportunity to discuss and consult with faculty members from across Penn State University — including the disciplines of medicine, psychology, sociology, and education — on the non-legal issues associated with their clients. Clients are represented by both a law student and a graduate social work student who use a team approach to address children's needs. Social work students are supervised by clinic social worker Gary Shuey.