They Deserve a Real Chance Too: Cultivating Connections with Children Refusing Services

This presentation was part of day 2 of the 5th Annual Symposium.

One of the challenges that legal service providers encounter when meeting with children they serve is the refusal of services, such as children stating they want to leave or don’t want to walk into the room. Our objective is to address techniques that legal service providers can use when a child refuses services more than once. Points to be covered include: 1. Listing the different factors or scenarios that can cause the child to refuse to speak to you. 2. Steps on how to prepare to meet with the child for a second time. 3. How to approach the conversation during the second meeting. 4. Tips on how to prevent generalizing the child’s refusal to participate in services. Knowing how to work with unaccompanied children, including those who are hesitant to accept your assistance, is imperative to develop a working relationship with a child client, so that you can effectively provide legal services and help them with their case.