Uniontown non-profit to offer independent legal aid to children
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Pixie, a Maltese Pomeranian mix, is pictured in the Child Rights, Inc. 鈥渇amily room鈥� with her owner Peggy Crable at their open house in Uniontown Aug. 30. Pixie will be on call for children going through the court system. Typically, children are given a teddy bear to hold in court. Pixie is an emotional support dog for her owners, Crable and her husband, Wayne Crable, who lost their daughter to murder in 2013. The non-profit provides free legal aid and other services to children.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Bernadette Tummons is pictured in the 鈥渇amily room鈥� of Child Rights, Inc. in Uniontown at their open house Aug. 30 in Uniontown. The non-profit was formed to give children free, independent legal representation and counseling services. Teddy bears lining the windows are given to children to hold during court.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
The Child Rights, Inc. 鈥渇amily room鈥� was designed to provide a home-like environment to meet with children and hold supervised visits at its Uniontown office. The non-profit provides free, independent legal services and counseling to children. A grand opening was held Aug. 30.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Dr. Scott Tracy, a counselor for Child Rights Inc., is pictured in his Lemont Furnace office Sept. 7. He will provide free counseling to children as needed and offer opinions for them in court through the nonprofit organization.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Child Rights, Inc., a non-profit to provide free, independent legal representation and counseling to children, held its open house Aug. 30 at its 2 West Main Street office.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
The Child Rights, Inc. 鈥渇amily room鈥� was designed to provide a home-like environment to meet with children and hold supervised visits at its Uniontown office. The non-profit provides free, independent legal services and counseling to children. A grand opening was held Aug. 30.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
The Child Rights, Inc. 鈥渇amily room鈥� was designed to provide a home-like environment to meet with children and hold supervised visits at its Uniontown office. The non-profit provides free, independent legal services and counseling to children. A grand opening was held Aug. 30.
When a child is caught up in a legal dispute, they have limited options for independent counsel to represent their interests, said attorney Bernadette Tummons.
鈥淎ll along, I always thought children got the short end of the stick,鈥� she said.
If a parent or guardian is paying an attorney for a child, that attorney may not have a child鈥檚 best interest in mind, Tummons said. Seeing the need for independence in providing legal services to children, she founded Child Rights, Inc., a non-profit recently opened in Uniontown. She and attorney Phyllis Jin and counselor Dr. Scott Tracy provide free services to children navigating the legal system.
The facility was created to provide a non-threatening, home-like atmosphere for kids. The office is filled with donated toys, and teddy bears children can hold during court proceedings. The facility will also be used for supervised visits between children and parents.
鈥淚t takes the sting out of court. It takes the sting out of talking to an adult you don鈥檛 know,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he court is adversarial, but it鈥檚 not here.鈥�
A 鈥渓ive teddy bear,鈥� a Maltese Pomeranian mix named Pixie, will also be on call for the children. Peggy Crable and Wayne Crable of Uniontown adopted Pixie as an emotional support dog. Their daughter, Lisa Tupta, was stabbed to death in her North Union Township home Jan. 28, 2013.
鈥淧ixie has been a godsend since we had her,鈥� Wayne Crable said.
Child Rights services include guardian-ad-litem services and representation in orphan鈥檚 court, custody disputes, delinquency cases, school issues, substance abuse, dependency and neglect or abuse cases. Tracy will fill counseling roles as needed, and provide his opinion in court cases or during legal matters, he said.
鈥淲e help people who can鈥檛 advocate for themselves,鈥� Tracy said.
Tracy said substance abuse among children is increasing rapidly. Rates of drug abuse are growing fastest among children and the elderly.
Tummons worked for years as a special education teacher. That role turned her eye toward the needs of children with disabilities, mental health and behavioral issues.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 been on my mind all along, but it just came time to do something,鈥� she said.
She applied for 501(c)(3) status in November 2016, which was granted within a few weeks. Tummons said she was opening the letter when a local woman came to the office to make a donation.
鈥淥h, I almost cried,鈥� Tummons said.
Child Rights held is grand opening Aug. 30, but the organization has already taken about a dozen clients by word of mouth, she said. Those cases included school problems, custody, adoption and termination of parental rights.
Addressing mental and behavioral health issues, along with offering them legal support is an approach to treat the whole child, Tracy said. He said children they serve are compromised because of their circumstances.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e compromised because they鈥檙e poor, because they have a disability, or because they鈥檙e simply lacking resources,鈥� he said.
Unlike in law when a case is closed and filed away, Tummons said she wants to serve as a long-term resource for children to help curtail any future problems the child might face and reduce recidivism. Soon, she would like to increase the staff to include a social worker and secretary. In the future, she would like to provide tutoring and other resources to children in a team approach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very idealistic, but it can work,鈥� she said.
The office at 2 West Main Street, Suite 600 will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday to walk-ins, referrals or appointments. Supervised visits can be scheduled any time outside business hours. The attorneys will provide legal services through walk-ins, referrals or court appointments.