Continuing Legal Education
Continuing Legal Education
NYPWA 2025 Annual Summer Conference
All legal sessions are in-person only and will not be recorded. Local DSS attorneys are eligible for up to 10.5 hours of CLE credits with their paid registration and confirmed attendance.
Sign-in for CLEs opens 15 minutes prior to start of each session.
Monday, July 21, 2025
9:00am — 10:30am
Article 81 Guardianship- Best Practices and Caselaw Review (1.5 CLEs, 90 minutes)
The first part of the program will cover best practices for guardianships, including responding to Petitions for Guardianship; intake and first steps for caseworkers after appointment; required actions for caseworkers and local service districts once appointed; reporting requirements; managing income, resources and property; applying for Chronic Care Medicaid and other financial assistance programs; and post-death procedures. The second part of the program will review fundamental and recent cases relevant to Art. 81 guardianship.
Evaluations
PowerPoint
Case Summaries
1:30pm — 3:00pm
Fundamentals of ICWA through the Social Work Lens
(1.5 CLEs [1.0 CLE in Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Bias, 0.5 CLE in Skills], 90 minutes)
This presentation will present an overview of the Indian Child Welfare Act, as well as the Act’s state law counterpart. As we review the unique requirements imposed on local DSS by the Act, we will also discuss the importance of understanding implicit bias, cultural sensitivity, and the historical systemic discrimination that led to the passage of the Act. This presentation will use case studies to illustrate specific problems that DSS attorneys are likely to encounter while prosecuting an ICWA-compliant Article 10 petition.
Evaluations
PowerPoint
3:30pm — 5:00pm
Nicholson v. Sapphire W: The Collision of Two Landmark Cases That Change the Landscape of Child Protection (1.5 CLEs, 90 minutes)
This course will first summarize the holding of the 2025 second department decision in Sapphire W. and how it alters Article 10 proceedings in New York State. The course will further discuss the most updated legal analysis of Nicholson case law and how it sets Article 10 proceedings on a crash course between the interests of non-respondent parents as domestic violence victims and custodial parents no longer subject to orders of supervision. Finally, the course will provide recommendations and practice points for managing child safety in this new landscape.
Evaluations
PowerPoint
Additional Materials
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
9:00am — 10:30am
Child Welfare Caselaw Review, Part I (1.5 CLEs, 90 minutes)
A review of the reported child welfare cases from January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025. Part 1 will primarily focus on abuse and neglect cases.
Evaluations
PowerPoint (Same for Both Sessions)
Full Caselaw (Same for Both Sessions)
10:45am — 12:15pm
Child Welfare Caselaw Review, Part II (1.5 CLEs, 90 minutes)
Part 2 will focus on termination of parental rights and other miscellaneous cases in the child welfare area.
Evaluations
PowerPoint (Same for Both Sessions)
Full Caselaw (Same for Both Sessions)
1:30pm — 3:00pm
Exploring Family Court Act Section 1038: Issues in Discovery & Evidence
(1.5 CLEs, 90 minutes)
We will discuss section 1038 of the Family Court Act regarding discovery in Article 10 cases and
issues with obtaining discovery, as well as evidentiary issues in admitting it into evidence.
Evaluations
PowerPoint
3:30pm — 5:00pm
OCFS Legal Training For Child Welfare Workers (1.5 CLEs, 90 minutes)
Presenters will outline the legal issues covered in training. These will include the framework of constitutional rights of parents and subject children. Covered will be relevant portions of the Family court Act, and Social Services Law, and Regulations, interacting with Family Court and participants.
Evaluations
PowerPoint
Suggestions For Witnesses in Family Court
Removals
Legal Status of a Child During a Child Protective Proceeding
Glossary of Court Terms and Phrases
2020 Court Hearings
Wednesda, July 23, 2025
9:00am — 10:30am
Meeting with State Agency Counsel
LDSS attorneys are invited to meet with OCFS (9:00-10:15) and OTDA (10:00-11:00) counsel to discuss questions related to their respective areas of practice as well as those where clarification from the State agencies are needed.
Questions