Domestic Violence Program: Representing Child Victims of Domestic Violence

The Domestic Violence Program recruits and trains volunteer attorneys to advocate for children in domestic violence cases.  This project was honored by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges as “one of the most effective and innovative programs for children in the nation.”  Since the program’s inception, hundreds of attorneys have devoted the equivalent of millions of dollars in volunteer legal services.

Youth Advocacy Clinic

The Youth Advocacy Clinic is a partnership with Urban Peak that provides legal representation, information and education to Colorado's homeless and at-risk youth. Issues addressed include education, employment, immigration, civil rights, etc. Volunteer attorneys are needed to staff the Clinic a few hours each week alongside a Children's Law Center attorney at Urban Peak's Downtown location. The Children's Law Center provides volunteers with extensive training, on-site support, and malpractice coverage.

Denver Prevention Partnership Program

Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center, in partnership with the Denver Department of Human Services, pairs volunteer lawyers with at-risk children to strengthen and preserve their families without court intervention. The Children's Law Center recruits, trains and supports volunteer attorneys to provide families with legal services, address any unmet educational needs and help ensure safety and treatment.

Foster Parent Training

With help from the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation, our attorneys developed a state-of-the-art training program for foster parents. In day-long, regional seminars, staff attorneys have educated hundreds of foster parents across Colorado about children's legal rights, foster parents' legal rights and the special needs of foster children. A training manual provides a detailed but straightforward legal discussion on how foster parents can intervene in court to enforce children's rights, when they are not getting services to which they are entitled.

University of Denver Child Advocacy Clinical Internship

The Children's Law Center, in partnership with the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, conducts a year-long course to teach law students to advocate for children.

Dandelion Project

This popular weekly horticultural therapy program gives abused and neglected children the opportunity to cultivate vegetables, herbs and flowers in a community garden. The therapeutic benefits of gardening strengthen the children’s self-esteem, as they learn that they can make a positive impact on their world. Group discussions and activities encourage children to share their experiences and feelings resulting from the maltreatment, parental substance abuse, and domestic violence they endured. The young gardeners create friendships with other children who have survived abuse, and develop healthy relationships with adult volunteer mentors.

The PET-P.A.L. Program

The Law Center's two animal-assisted therapy programs use dogs as intervention tools to teach maltreated children positive social behavior. The programs include individual therapy with Marley, our therapy dog, and group therapy with animals awaiting adoption at a local shelter.