Senior Project Overview

Name: Courtney Points

Title of Project: Victims Rights and Children
Title of Research Paper: Victims Rights and Child Protective Services
Synopsis of Research Paper: Victims Rights and Child Protective Services addresses Child
Protective Services policy concerning the appeals process specifically concerning victims rights.
This paper lays out victims rights in several states, goes into United States code and federal rule,
and analyzes that in conjunction with Child Protective Services policy. The United States affords
crime victims many rights but victims in Child Protective Services proceedings are not afforded
those same rights.
Project Description: I held an interactive seminar in First Colonials library. I taught what Child
Protective Services is and the appeals process, adults and childrens rights as victims of crimes,
and legal representation for children. I created a scenario of a divorcing couple disputing custody
and assigned half of the attendees the role guardian ad litem and the other half the role
traditional lawyer. I had them share their recommendations for custody from a personal
perspective, then through the lens of their role, and we discussed the changes of those and the
benefits and disadvantages of each role. I had attendees illustrate a right or concept they learned.
I am currently working on turning these illustrations into an informative bulletin board in my
school.
Relationship between Project and Paper: I taught exactly what I had researched. The scenario
activity highlighted the pros and cons of minors being represented by guardians ad litem and
traditional lawyers. The drawings people did were of a victims right.
My background experience in the area: When I was thirteen, my mother filed for full custody and
I was appointed a guardian ad litem. This sparked my previous aspiration to be a guardian ad
litem as well a career research paper I completed on the field for my sophomore English class.
My family, specifically myself, gained personal experience with Child Protective Services when
I was fourteen.
Special Things Id like judges to consider and look for: I intended to focus on the appeals process
of Child Protective Services and child being represented in such, but after declaring my topic I
found that an original premise was incorrect. I then had to broaden my scope of research. This
change forced me to completely nix my proposed my project.