Voices for Vulnerable High Point Children
Children Law Center – Custody Advocacy Program
Summary
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point provided three years of funding to the Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina (CLC) to expand their Custody Advocacy Program in High Point. The Custody Advocacy Program provides court-appointed Guardians ad Litem who are attorneys to advocate for the best interests of children involved in civil domestic violence or high conflict custody cases. The intensive program is demonstrated to break the cycle of violence improving the lives of current and future generations of High Point children.
Highlights
- Children’s Law Center attorneys were appointed by Guilford County courts to be Guardians ad Litem for 30 High Point children over the three-year funding period, significantly increasing the number of High Point children receiving services.
- Foundation funding enabled Center staff to expand their outreach efforts to High Point judges, community leaders, and safety and social service organizations, establishing relationships intended to increase referrals to CLC and identify support services for their clients.
- Paige Gilliard, the William Graham, Jr. Director of the Custody Advocacy Program, was recognized for her dedication to the welfare of Guilford County children through her Custody Advocacy Program efforts. She is the first recipient of the Sgt. Dale Nix Partner of the Year Award presented by the Guilford County Family Justice Center during their 10th year anniversary celebration in June 2025.
Funding
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point provided the Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina with a grand total of $122,250 to provide legal advocacy services to High Point children and families through the Custody Advocacy Program during 2022, 2023, and 2024. The program in High Point was also supported by funding from the High Point Community Foundation, Guilford County Commissioners, the High Point Community Chorale and Handbell Choir/First United Methodist Church, Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, and the Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation.
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point works with partners to transform conditions that impact health and well-being of Greater High Point residents by investing in and engaging the community to address upstream social influences on health.
Background
The Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina was founded in 2005 by two lawyers in Winston-Salem, Penny Spry and Amy Kuhlman, to provide free legal advocacy services for children, the only such organization in the central part of the state. Children’s Law Center began serving children in Guilford County in 2014, initially in High Point, focusing on domestic violence cases. Funding from the Foundation for a Healthy High Point allowed them to increase their caseload of High Point families in 2022 and begin accepting high conflict custody cases in 2023.
Children’s Law Center’s attorneys are appointed as Guardians ad Litem by the courts to advocate for the best interests of children whose parents or guardians are involved in domestic violence or high conflict custody cases. As the “eyes and ears of the court,” CLC attorneys thoroughly investigate all aspects of a child’s living situation. They then recommend custody arrangements to the Court, along with recommendations for additional support services such as mental health treatment for the child and/or parents, parenting classes, and substance abuse treatment to ensure the best environment for the child.
“I ask the children what they want to be when they grow up and why. It is eye opening to hear how even future goals may be based around their lived experiences and how they want to help others someday – whether it is as a sports professional, teacher, therapist, social media influencer, or even a lawyer. Our children are not just a name on a court document; they are faces of strength, compassion, and hope.”
Paige Gilliard, William Graham, Jr. Director, Custody Advocacy Program
Need
While domestic violence affects people of all races, educational levels, and economic statuses, the Children’s Law Center fills an important need by providing vulnerable children with free or low-cost legal support to ensure their best interests are not overlooked. According to CLC reports, most of CLC’s young clients live in high-poverty areas of High Point and are children of color. Almost all CLC’s High Point clients have experienced domestic violence in their homes and/or have suffered emotional abuse and neglect. Through their work, CLC staff discovered that High Point families have greater needs for services than families from other areas of Guilford County. High Point families experience challenges with transportation, housing, literacy, and mental health and substance abuse, increasing the importance of a Guardian ad Litem to protect and advocate for children.
Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) such as family violence, substance abuse by parents or guardians, parental separation, and mental illness are strongly correlated with greater rates of suicide and other mental health issues, substance abuse, chronic disease, and lowered life expectancy. CLC’s High Point clients have high ACE scores indicating they are at high risk of severe and complex health problems. Additionally, without effective intervention, research shows that 70% of children who grow up witnessing or experiencing domestic violence will become abusive partners or victims of domestic violence themselves. Breaking this cycle of violence is crucial for preventing the next generation of young people from experiencing trauma and its lifelong negative health impacts.
The COVID-19 pandemic created stress on families resulting in increases in both emotional neglect and physical abuse at home. However, as families were more isolated, it was difficult for victims to safely report abuse. Also, for some time, children were not attending school where reports of child maltreatment are often identified. As a result, fewer cases of domestic violence were identified early in the pandemic, but the cases that were reported were more severe. While reporting of cases has normalized, there remain lingering social, emotional, and academic impacts.
Project Description
The Children Law Center’s Custody Advocacy Program is a high-touch, evidence-based model to advocate on behalf of children involved in complex custody and civil domestic violence cases. The model was developed over years of work in Forsyth County and has demonstrated efficacy in preventing future violence. CLC attorneys serve as “Guardians ad Litem” (GAL) at the appointment of the court to advocate for the best interests of a child unable to speak up for themselves. The role of the Guardian ad Litem is to thoroughly investigate the case, gather detailed information from interviews, records, and observations, present the information and make recommendations to the judge. Guardians ad Litem must be appointed by a judge but a parent or attorney may request the appointment of a Guardian ad Litem.
“I would guess that 80% of the parents that I interview cry at some point because we’re talking about their kids. This is the most emotional type of situation you could have. And I will often want to normalize getting services. So I might say, ‘Gosh! Do you have support for yourself? Because I know no matter what the allegations are like, this is a hard time. If you think you might want to go talk to somebody, please feel free to reach out, and we’ll be happy to make a referral for you.’
Not every parent is open to it. But I think normalizing it does help a lot. I think they don’t always have an opportunity to tell the whole story…”
Paige Gilliard, William Graham, Jr. Director, Custody Advocacy Program
CLC attorneys spend weeks to months gathering information to deeply understand the child’s living environment and family history. They conduct home visits and interview parents and/or guardians to hear all sides of the story, including any history of domestic violence, substance abuse, or mental health issues. These questions are asked to evaluate the stability and safety of the child’s family situation and identify services that can benefit both the child and parents including therapy or parenting classes. Next, the attorneys gather records from law enforcement agencies, the child’s school, doctors, family members and neighbors, and court records. They also interview teachers, social workers, therapists, and pediatricians, and run criminal background checks on all adults living in the household. They try to visit the child at school, to talk to them without either parent present.
CLC’s role is twofold: to be the voice of the child and to protect children from the effects of litigation. After gathering exhaustive information, CLC makes recommendations to the court in the best interests of the child about the living situation and other supports each child needs to best meet their safety, educational, health, and any other needs. CLC staff utilize their contacts and knowledge of community resources to connect children and families to the supportive services they need to thrive. They never ask a child with which parent they wish to live, to protect them from the difficult position of having to choose. They write extensive, detailed reports, and, if needed, will testify in place of the child, to shield the child from further trauma.
Foundation funding helped to support the salaries of CLC staff members, including Staff Attorney Kathryn Corey and Paige Gilliard, who in addition to their Custody Advocacy Program work, volunteer each year with the support staff team of professionals at Camp HOPE. Camp HOPE is an evidence-based, year-round program that culminates in a week-long, overnight camp experience for children and teens impacted by domestic violence or abuse. The goal is to allow the children to enjoy typical camp activities with others from similar backgrounds and receive support throughout the year through monthly gatherings. In June of 2025, 24 teens attended the high adventure Camp HOPE and 60 younger children (ages 7-12) attended Camp HOPE in August.
Results
Children’s Law Center staff report that support from the Foundation for a Healthy High Point has allowed them to increase their reach in High Point over the last three years. While CLC staff do not have control over how many cases judges appoint, by investing in building awareness within the city and county, their caseload has steadily increased. In 2021, the year before receiving funding from the Foundation, CLC served as GALs for five High Point children. Over the course of three years of funding, CLC was appointed as Guardians ad Litem in 26 cases representing 30 High Point children. While falling short of their goal of representing 30 children in High Point during 2024, they have been appointed as GALs to 12 cases representing 21 children during the first half of 2025, on track to meet their goal this year.
Across the three years of funding, CLC conducted hundreds of interviews with children, parents, and collateral witnesses along with dozens of home, school visits, and court hearings. Just during 2024, CLC staff and volunteers conducted 60 interviews with children, parents, and witnesses, 22 home visits, 20 school visits, and attended 20 court hearings for cases involving High Point Children. Each investigation takes an average of 3-4 months to conduct, although the longest case took nine months. At the end of their investigation, CLC staff submit comprehensive reports to the court with their recommendations on what is in the best interest of each child.
While staff found it challenging to conduct surveys with parents to evaluate their High Point CLC initiative, there is an evidence base supporting the model used for the Custody Advocacy Program. Research conducted by Wake Forest School of Law found violence only recurred in 28% of families who were appointed a Children’s Law Center attorney in Forsyth County, compared to about 70% of families who did not receive similar services. A new research study is being conducted by the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill to determine the long-term impact of the program in Forsyth County.
In addition to impacting High Point children’s lives, staff also attribute organizational advancements to the Foundation for the Healthy High Point’s funding. Awareness of the Children’s Law Center was increased through efforts of CLC staff to build relationships with Guilford County judges, thus increasing the number of Guardian ad Litem appointments that were made. Additionally, CLC strengthened their relationship with the High Point Family Justice Center (FJC). CLC was a founding member of the Family Justice Center when it opened in 2018. There are 15 organizations affiliated with the FJC, including other legal aid organizations and law enforcement, who are in contact with potential clients for CLC. CLC staff and leadership hosted events for members of the public and of the Bar Association with the goal of increasing awareness in High Point of their organization. While 12 people attended their first event, their most recent event in 2024 had 50 attendees and they expect this number to increase in 2025. By conducting outreach in High Point, CLC staff have grown their network of service organizations to which they can make recommendations for children and families. Additionally, these organizations are now aware that families in crisis can request support from CLC.
In terms of internal organizational impact, CLC diversified their Board of Directors in response to their increased activities in Guilford County. While the Board has historically been primarily composed of people from Forsyth County (where CLC was founded), CLC strategically added board members from Guilford County, with a specific focus on High Point. The next board chair is an attorney who raised her children in High Point and three other board members are from Guilford County. These include both lawyers and a non-lawyer in an additional effort to engage a range of perspectives within the organization’s leadership. The board intends to continue recruiting new members from High Point and Guilford County. CLC also increased the number of donors in High Point by 250% over course of Foundation for a Healthy High Point funding. In June of 2025, at the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Guilford County Family Justice Center, Paige Gilliard received the first Sergeant Dale Nix “Partner of the Year Award.” The award honors the legacy of the late Sergeant Dale Nix who was shot and killed while reacting to an incident at a local gas station in 2023. Sergeant Nix led the Greensboro Police Department’s Family Victims Unit and dedicated his work to supporting thousands of victims of violence and abuse. Paige was recognized for her years of work advocating for children in Guilford County and particularly for her work at Camp HOPE.
Lessons Learned
In reports submitted to the Foundation and an interview for this report, Children’s Law Center leaders shared that:
- Addressing childhood trauma and preventing future violence is an important investment for a healthy High Point. Breaking the cycle of violence decreases the number of children living with violence and abuse in their households and prevents children from becoming abusive partners or victims of domestic violence themselves. Relationship building is a key factor in the Custody Advocacy Program’s successful approach to mitigating the effects of childhood trauma and preventing future violence. CLC staff and volunteers gain the trust of children and the respect of parents through committing substantial time to hear all voices involved in a conflict and creating a “plan for healing” that can begin to be implemented even before the case comes to court. CLC works to ensure that their clients feel heard and receive effective support to create better futures for themselves.
- Funding from the Foundation for a Healthy High Point was instrumental in allowing CLC to expand partnerships and serve greater numbers of High Point children. While CLC had been a partner with the Family Justice Center for over a decade, their caseload in High Point had been low. CLC leaders shared that the Foundation’s funding pushed them to have a more intense focus in High Point. The result of their community outreach was the development of new partnerships and funding opportunities which will help sustain efforts in High Point into the future.
- Funding from the Foundation for a Healthy High Point served as a catalyst for securing additional funding for CLC’s work in High Point. Since receiving funding from the Foundation for a Healthy High Point three years ago, CLC received a year of funding from the High Point Community Foundation and two years of funding from the Guilford County Commissioners. They also applied for and received funding from the Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation which focuses its efforts on Guilford County. CLC also received a Capacity Building Grant Award from the Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation.
- Working with the Foundation for a Healthy High Point has influenced the Children’s Law Center’s mission and vision. CLC stated that participating in the Foundation’s application process and working with Foundation staff helped them to think more deeply about their work and contributed to them refining and focusing their High Point initiative. Moreover, they have adopted a new Strategic Plan in July of 2024 that reflects many of the lessons they learned during their High Point expansion. Their staff and board are committed to working to expand their effective model to serve vulnerable children and families in other communities in the state.
What’s next?
The Children’s Law Center of Central North Carolina’s profile has been raised in the High Point community because of funding from the Foundation for a Healthy High Point. Consequently, they have been able to secure funding from other foundations and organizations, ensuring they can continue to do their important work advocating for vulnerable High Point children into the future.
Children’s Law Center’s Board of Directors and staff continue to implement their multi-year strategic plan focusing on prevention, intervention and systemic impact with a focus on trauma and extending the organization’s impact for children in North Carolina state-wide, to meet an ever-increasing need.