When Crisis Comes for a Child

The 14-year-old girl from El Salvador had never been away from home, but Carolina* knew she had to run. The 40-year-old gang member who wanted to marry her had made his threats clear: join him willingly, or watch her siblings suffer the consequences. So Carolina left in the darkness, beginning a journey that would take her through the Texas desert, to an Ohio detention center, and eventually to the offices of Legal Services for Children (LSC) in San Francisco.

Founded in 1975 as one of the first children’s law offices in the country, LSC operates on a simple but profound principle articulated by Executive Director Cathy Sakimura: “When a child needs a lawyer, it’s already a crisis.” The organization serves over 1,000 youth annually, 98% of whom are children of color, with 60% speaking languages other than English as their primary tongue.

What distinguishes LSC from other legal aid organizations is its holistic approach. Social workers and attorneys work together as a team and remain with a child throughout their case – for months or years. “We make this very deep investment in each one of our clients, where we work with them as they grow into adults,” Sakimura explains. This isn’t just legal representation; it’s comprehensive advocacy that addresses every aspect of a young person’s life.

The Weight of Complexity

The children who find their way to LSC come with challenging, poignant stories. A background of parental loss, sexual exploitation, abuse. It’s why LSC’s compassionate, dedicated social workers help the children not only begin to heal from the trauma but help them navigate through often overwhelming tasks in their daily lives: accompanying youth to doctor appointments, guiding them through the DMV for a first driver’s license, or sitting in school meetings to advocate for proper language assessments. “If you don’t have an adult in your life, how do you figure that out?” asks Clinical Director Ron Gutierrez.

LSC’s work spans three critical areas: securing safe homes through guardianship and foster care advocacy, defending against deportation for undocumented youth, and protecting educational access when schools push vulnerable children toward suspension or expulsion. The organization also maintains federal contracts to serve children in immigration detention facilities throughout the Bay Area, providing legal orientation and family reunification services to youth who arrive in the U.S. alone.

Perhaps most remarkably, LSC has not yet had to withdraw from any case despite Federal funding losses – an important achievement in an era when many organizations have been forced to abandon clients mid-process.

LSC’s successful free representation model continues to be about empowering their clients, about involving them in the decisions that impact their lives so they can heal and thrive.

Carolina’s Journey to Safety
At 14, Carolina fled gang threats in El Salvador, traveling alone to the U.S. where she was detained and placed in deportation proceedings. LSC’s attorney-social worker team helped her secure guardianship with her San Francisco cousin, enrolled her in high school and healthcare, arranged trauma therapy, and successfully obtained Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. After two years of comprehensive support, Carolina achieved legal permanent residence and now has the stable foundation she needs to thrive academically and personally.

* Names of clients and some details of their stories have been changed to protect confidentiality.