Vandervort, Frank E.

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

3124 Jeffries 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...

"The Law and Policy of Child Maltreatment." In Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. 1st ed., by National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan; edited by Robert Geffner et al. New York: Springer International Publishing, Forthcoming, 2021.

Editor. Preventing Child Abuse: Critical Roles and Multiple Perspectives. Vincent J. Palusci, Donald E. Greydanus, and Joav Merrick, co-editors. New York: Nova Science, Forthcoming, 2020.

"'Of Sound Mind and Body': A Call for Universal Drug Screening for All Newborns." In The Oxford Handbook of Children and the Law, edited by James G. Dwyer. Oxford Handbooks Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
Full Text: Oxford Handbooks Online (UMich users) | Oxford Handbooks Online

Promoting Justice for Abusive Head Trauma: Information and Strategies for Effective Courtroom Presentation. Paul Stern, Vincent J. Palusci, Ronald C. Hughes, and Robert Parrish, co-authors. Columbus, Ohio: The Center for Child Policy, 2019.
Full Text: WWW

"Prenatal Drug Exposure as Aggravated Circumstances." Mich. B.J. 98, no. 11 (2019): 24-6.
Full Text: HEIN (UMich users) | HEIN | Lexis | Westlaw | WWW

"Reviewer's Note." V. J. Palusci, co-author. The Quarterly Update, 36. The Ray E. Helfer Society, XXIV (2017).
Full Text: MLaw Repository | WWW

"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, N.Y.: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2017.

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

"Juvenile Justice Reform and the Myth of the Superpredator." Bridge Mag. (May 17, 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, Colo.: Bradford Publishing Co., 2016.

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

"Differential Response: Misrepresentation of CPS Investigation and Case Fact Finding." R. C. Hughes, co-author. APSAC Advisor 28, no. 7 (2016).

"A Liberal Dilemma: Respecting Autonomy While Also Protecting Inchoate Children from Prenatal Substance Abuse." A. J. Weisberg, co-author. Wm. & Mary Bill Rts. J. 24, no. 3 (2016): 659-708.
Full Text: MLaw Repository | HEIN (UMich users | HEIN | Lexis | Westlaw

Recently Taught Courses

Activities

Presented "Writing Defensible Court Reports" at the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's 25th Annual Colloquium, New Orleans, June 2018.

Presented "Overview of Federal Child Welfare Legislation" at the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's 25th Annual Colloquium, New Orleans, June 2018.

Co-presented "Drug Exposed Infants" at the 17th National Citizen Review Panel Conference, Mackinac Island, Michigan, June 2018.

Gave a plenary presentation on "The Federal Role in Child Protection" at the 17th National Citizen Review Panel Conference, Mackinac Island, Michigan, June 2018.

Presented "Child Welfare: The Intersection of Child Maltreatment and Parental Substance Abuse" to the Child Advocacy Program's Art of Social Change Seminar, Harvard Law School, February 2018.

Roundtable discussant for "Raise the Age and Juvenile Life Without Parole" at the NFL Tour on Bail Reform and Juvenile Life Without Parole, Detroit, October 2017.

Presented "The History of Juvenile Justice" as part of a panel discussion on "Raising the Age and Legal Challenges" at the Fedele F. Fauri and Iris M. Fauri Memorial Conference, University of Michigan School of Social Work, September 2017.

Co-presented "Developing a Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice System: Changing Paradigms Through New Research" at the National Association of Counsel for Children 40th National Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Family Law Conference, New Orleans, August 2017.

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.

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