Vandervort, Frank E.

Clinical Professor of Law
Child Advocacy Law Clinic
Juvenile Justice Law Clinic

3124 South Hall
734.647.3168
E-mail vort@umich.edu

Professor Frank Vandervort is a clinical professor of law whose primary interests include juvenile justice, child welfare, and interdisciplinary practice. He cofounded the Juvenile Justice Clinic with Professor Kimberly Thomas in 2009. Professor Vandervort is the immediate past president of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children and chair of its Amicus and Public Policy Committee. He received a BA from Michigan State University and a JD from Wayne State University.

Recent Publications

More Publications...

Co-author. "Legal Issues in Child Welfare Cases Involving Children with Disabilities." J. B. Kay, co-author. In Child Abuse: Children with Disabilities, edited by V. J. Palusci et al., 213-34. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2017.

Co-author. "Does Changing Mandated Reporting Laws Improve Child Maltreatment Reporting in Large U.S. Counties?" V. J. Palusci and J. Lewis, co-authors. Child. & Youth Serv. Rev. 66 (2016): 170-9.
Full Text: ScienceDirect (UMich users) | Science Direct

"Juvenile Justice Reform and the Myth of the Superpredator." Bridge Magazine (May 17, 2016).
Full Text: WWW

"New Study Confirms Link Between Hitting Children and Poor Outcomes." The Chron. of Soc. Change, Fostering Media Connections. May 5, 2016.
Full Text: WWW

"Federal Legislation Protecting Children and Providing for Their Well-Being." In Child Welfare Law and Practice: Representing Children, Parents, and State Agencies in Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency Cases. 3rd ed., edited by D. Duquette, M. Hardin, and V. S. Sankaran, 231-74. Denver: Bradford Publishing Co., 2016.

Co-author. "A Liberal Dilemma: Respecting Autonomy While Also Protecting Inchoate Children from Prenatal Substance Abuse." A. J. Weisberg, co-author. Wm. & Mary Bill of Rts. 24, no. 1 (2016): 659-708.
Full Text: Hein

"Using Screening and Assessment Evidence of Trauma in Child Welfare Cases." ABA Child L. Prac. 34, no. 5 (2015): 65, 70-6.
Full Text: HEIN (UMich users) | HEIN

"Hastert and Duggars, Two Very Different Cases of Sexual Misconduct." The Chron. of Soc. Change, June 22, 2015.
Full Text: WWW

Co-author. "Universal reporting laws and child maltreatment report rates in large U.S. counties." V. J. Palusci, co-author. Child. & Youth Serv. Rev. 38 (2014): 20-8.
Full Text: ScienceDirect (UMich users) | ScienceDirect

Co-author. "Effects of Clergy Reporting Laws on Child Maltreatment Report Rates." V. J. Palusci, co-author. APSAC Advisor 26, no. 1 (2014): 16-26.
Full Text: MLaw Repository

Co-author. "Arguing on the Side of Culture." D. Chopp and R. Ortega, co-authors. Litig. J. Fall 2014 (2014): 10-3.

Co-author. "Building Resilience in Foster Children: The Role of the Child's Advocate." J. Henry and M. A. Sloane, co-authors. Children's Legal Rights Journal 32, no. 3 (2012): 1-24.
Full Text: MLaw Repository | HEIN (UMich users) | HEIN

"Professional Practitioners' Views on Videotaping: Capturing and Conveying a Child's Story." K. M. Staller, co-author. In Seeking Justice in Child Sexual Abuse: Shifting Burdens and Sharing Responsibilities, edited by K. M. Staller and K. C. Faller, 113-40. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2010.

Recently Taught Courses

Activities

Facilitated a daylong Advanced Training Institute on Abusive Head Trauma at the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's Advanced Training Institute, Portland, Maine, June 2017.

Co-presented "Working Effectively in the Legal System" to a multidisciplinary audience at the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's Advanced Training Summit, Portland, Maine, June 2017.

Co-presented "APSAC Position Paper on Allegations of Child Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence in Divorce/Parental Relationship Dissolution" at the One Child, Many Hands Conference, University of Pennsylvania, June 2017.

Upon a vote of the board of directors, his term as immediate past president of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children was extended by one year.

Received the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's Outstanding Service Award for 2016.

Received the Pro Humanitate Award from the North American Resource Center on Child Welfare, which is awarded "to a child welfare professional in law, medicine, journalism, social work, nursing, or psychology who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to advocacy for maltreated children."

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