Faculty and Administration Profiles

Anita Weinberg

About

Anita Weinberg has worked on behalf of children and families for over 35 years as an attorney and as a social worker. Prior to teaching at Loyola, she served as director of Policy and Planning for the Department of Children and Family Services Office of Inspector General. Previously she was an Assistant Cook County Public Guardian representing abused and neglected children and supervising staff attorneys. She also was a staff attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago where she represented parents and children in the juvenile court, in class action litigation, and in legislative advocacy. Professor Weinberg was adjunct faculty at the University of Chicago School of Social Services Administration for nine years, where she created and taught a class on social work and the law. As a social worker she directed the Resources for Permanence Project at the Child Welfare League of America in New York City. Professor Weinberg involves students in interdisciplinary projects in the areas of child welfare, juvenile justice and health. Recently, she and students completed a comprehensive study on youth identified as sexually offending, for the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission.   With students has been intensively involved in efforts to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in Chicago, an issue that has been linked to special education needs and other medical and behavioral problems that have the potential for limiting children's learning potential and opportunity. She is the recipient of grants from the Chicago Community Trust, Telligen, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for work on lead poisoning prevention. She serves on numerous committees and councils devoted to children's rights. She has co-authored amendments to the Illinois Juvenile Court Act and the Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Act.  Professor Weinberg has testified before congressional and state legislative committees on child welfare and health related issues. In 2014 Professor Weinberg was the recipient of the University’s inaugural St. Ignatius Loyola Award for Excellence in Teaching.  The award recognizes a faculty member whose teaching involves a commitment  to excellence, raises global awareness, promotes social justice and educates the whole student. 

Degrees

BA, Michigan, 1974
MSSW, Columbia, 1977
JD, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, 1986

Program Areas

Interdisciplinary Seminar on Domestic Violence
ChildLaw Legislation and Policy Clinic
Comparative Domestic Violence Law Seminar (LAW 234)
Children's Summer Institute
Fellows Capstone Seminar

Professional & Community Affiliations

Chapin Hall at University of Chicago, Institutional Review Board (2010-present)

YWCA/North Shore, Chair (2012-present), Vice-President (2009-2012); Chair, Advocacy Committee (2007-2009); Member, Racial Justice Committee (2008-present); Board Member (2005-present);

Family Defense Center, Advisory Council Member (2008- present); Founding Board Member (2005-2007

Clarence Darrow Commemorative Committee, Co-Chair, 1989 – present)

Cook County Lead Poisoning Advisory Council, Member( 2001 – present)

Illinois Lead Safe Housing Advisory Council, Co-chair (January 2005-present)

Illinois Lead Safe Housing Task Force, Chair(1999 –present)

Awards

2014 St. Ignatius Loyola Award for Excellence in Teaching

2014 Housing Champion, Metropolitan Tenants Organization

2013 Family Defender,Family Defense Center

Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006

Distinguished Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Alumni Award, 2003

Edith Spurlock Sampson Juvenile Justice Pioneer Award, 2000

Loyola University Chicago School of Law, in recognition of service to the legal profession through service to the underprivileged, 1993.

Selected Publications

Books

Karen Blumenthal and Anita Weinberg (eds.), Establishing Parent Involvement in Foster Care Agencies, New York: Child Welfare League of America (1984)

Chapters in Books

“A Case Study of a Partnership in Chicago to Prevent Childhood Lead Poisoning,” in Garbarino and Sigman (eds.) A Child's Right to a Healthy Environment, New York: Springer Publishing Company (2011

Neglected, Abused and Dependent Children - Dispositions and Permanency, (co-authored with Bruce Boyer) in Illinois Juvenile Law and Practice (IICLE 2007, updated 2009, 2012)

Karen Blumenthal and Anita Weinberg, “Involving Parents: Administrative Responsibility,” in Establishing Parent Involvement in Foster Care Agencies, New York: Child Welfare League of America (1984)

Karen Blumenthal and Anita Weinberg, “Issues Concerning Parental Visiting of Children in Foster Care,” in Hardin, Mark (ed.) Foster Children in the Courts, Boston: Butterworth Legal Publishers (1983)

Selected Articles

Anita Weinberg, “An Introduction to the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997,” 24 Children’s Legal Rights Journal 1 (Spring 2004)

Anita Weinberg and Carol Harding, “Interdisciplinary Teaching and Collaboration
in Higher Education: A Concept Whose Time Has Come,” 14 Washington University Journal of Law & Policy (2004)

Anita Weinberg, “Lead Poisoning Threatens Children’s Health, Legal System Responds,” 7:1 Public Interest Law Reporter (Spring 2002)

Stacey Platt and Anita Weinberg, “The Question of Best Interest in Failed Adoptions: A Case Study,” 4:4 Adoption Quarterly (2001) 

Anita Weinberg and Linda Katz, “Law and Social Work in Partnership for Permanency: The Adoption and Safe Families Act and the Role of Concurrent Planning,” 18:4 Children’s Legal Rts. J. (Fall 1998) 

Other Publications

Improving Illinois’ Response to Sexual Offenses Committed by Youth: Considerations for Law, Policy, and Practice (Principal Investigator), Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission (2014)

Childhood Lead Poisoning: A Historical Perspective (produced 8 minute video) (2008)

Report to the Illinois General Assembly and Governor on Recommendations of the Illinois Lead Safe Housing Advisory Council (2007)

Lead Safe Chicago: A Strategic Plan to Eliminate Childhood Lead Poisoning in Chicago by 2010 (with Anne Evens) (2004)

Parent's Guide To The Juvenile Court: Abuse and Neglect Proceedings (ISBA, 2000)

Selected Recent Presentations

“Improving Illinois’ Response to Youth Offending: Considerations for Law, Policy, and Practice,” Statewide Child Advocacy Center Annual Meeting (August 2014) (plenary presenter)

“Community, Student and Personal Engagement: Finding Meaning in Our Work,” AALS Clinical Teacher’s Conference (May 2014) (mini-plenary co-presenter)

“Building Community-Academic Partnerships for Improving Healthy Homes Outcomes,” National Healthy Homes Conference (May 2014) (workshop co-presenter)

“Helping the ‘Real’ Luna Gales and their Families in the Child Welfare System,” Family Defense Center (March 2014) (webinar presenter)

“Luna Gale – Context Panel Discussion,” Goodman Theater (February 2014) (presenter)

“Advancing Healthy Homes and Healthy Communities Initiative – A Model for Public-Private-Community-University Partnership,” National Lead and Healthy Housing Conference (February 2014) (plenary co-presenter)

“Do No Harm: Intervening Effectively with Youth Adjudicated Delinquent for Sexual Offenses – Educating Legislators and Policy Makers,” Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (November 2013) (workshop co-presenter)

“A Child’s Right to Health: Lead Poisoning, Prevention and the Role of the International Child Right’s Community,” Yale University and Distressed Children and Infants International (September 2013) (co-presenter)

“Preventing Lead Exposure for US Children: A Dialogue and Strategy for Action,” National Healthy Housing Leadership Conference (February 2013) (invited discussant)

"Examining the Impact of Lead Laws on Housing Quality and Children's Health, Public Health Law Research (September 2012) (webinar presenter)

“Effectively Teaching Legislative and Policy Advocacy: The Pedagogical, Ethical, and Structural Challenges,” AALS Clinical Teachers Conference (May 2012) (co-organizer and workshop presenter)

Legislative and Policy Advocacy Working Group, AALS Clinical Teachers Conference (May 2012) (three-day workgroup co-facilitator) 

"Examining the Impact of Lead Laws on Housing Quality and Children's Health," American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics and Public Health Law Research (2012) (webinar panelist)

“Effectively Teaching Legislative and Policy Advocacy: The Pedagogical, Ethical, and Structural Challenges,” AALS Clinical Teachers Conference (2012) (workshop presenter)

Legislative and Policy Advocacy Working Group, AALS Clinical Teachers Conference (2012) (three-day workgroup co-facilitator)

Urban Issues Summit: Health Disparities, Loyola University Water Tower Campus Life (2012) (plenary session panelist)

“Policy and Legislative Advocacy: Seen through the Lens of Two Opposite Issues,” National
Student Leadership Conference (2011) (presenter)

Juvenile Sex Offenders: Policies and Litigation, Open Society Foundation and Public Welfare
Foundation (2011) (participant, invitational meeting)

“Kids Run Better Unleaded,” Loyola-Provident Family Medicine Residency Program (2011)
(plenary session panelist)