Children & Youth Legal Services
LSNF provides legal assistance to needy children and youth in critical areas that affect their safety, wellbeing and future development. Primarily, LSNF works in the areas of foster care (dependency), education, and expungement.
This involves advocating for children who need physical and mental health benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), services from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, and other needs that may come up.
In Florida, 578,317 students received special education services in 2021-22 – there are students in special education in every school district. In the region served by LSNF, there were 40,421.
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Foster Care
In Florida, only 30% of children removed from their homes exit to a permanent home within one year. Only 48% of children get that permanent home in two years.
Education
In Florida, 578,317 students received special education services in 2021-22 – there are students in special education in every school district. In the region served by LSNF, there were 40,421.
Expungement
Research shows that over 40 percent of men and 20 percent of women have been arrested at least once by the young age of 23. Furthermore, nearly 50 percent of arrests end in non-convictions or case dismissals. Almost a quarter of those arrested were never even formally charged.
Expungement Toolkit
Florida youth in foster care frequently interact with law enforcement and may have juvenile delinquent records. Some of these youth can benefit from having a serious crime expunged from that record. This set of materials is intended to support pro bono attorneys in reviewing a youth’s records to:
- Determine if a youth is eligible for expunction;
- Identify the charge that should be expunged;
- Guide the youth through the expungement process.
Parental Rights for Students in Special Education
Parents of children who are in special education, and parents who ask the school district to test a child to see if they need special education services have rights that they might not know about. Download this booklet to learn your rights as a parent.
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