The Children's Law Podcast

Homelessness and Child Welfare: A Conversation with David Ambroz

The Children's Law Podcast

Show Notes

In this episode, sponsored by the National Association of Counsel for Children, Angela interviews David Ambroz, author of the memoir “A Place Called Home” and keynote speaker at the upcoming NACC Conference in Minneapolis. After growing up homeless and then in foster care, David graduated from Vassar College and later earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law. He is now the Head of Community Engagement (West) for Amazon, a national poverty and child welfare expert and advocate, and a foster dad. In this episode, David provides a powerful perspective on the intersection of homelessness and child welfare. He talks specifically about how his attorneys impacted his journey. David also encourages people to focus on the progress being made within our admittedly imperfect systems and gives concrete strategies to continue pushing that progress forward. Join us at the NACC Conference August 10-12, 2023. Click here to register. To learn more about David Ambroz, visit his website and the website of his nonprofit, FosterMore. You can follow David on Instagram @hjdambroz and Twitter @DaveAmbroz.

More from The Children's Law Podcast

Oct 20, 2026

In this episode, Angela talks with Dr. Frank W. Putnam, author of Old Before Their Time: A Scientific Life Investigating How Maltreatment Harms Children and the Adults They Become. Dr. Putnam is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and an authority on the lifetime effects of childhood maltreatment. He is co-founder, with the late Dr. Penelope Trickett, of the Female Growth and Development Study (FGDS), an ongoing 35+ year, multigenerational study of the enduring biopsychosocial effects of childhood sexual abuse on female development. This episode highlights key points from the book and actions children's lawyers can take to help their clients, particularly those who have been sexually abused. For more on Dr. Putnam and the book, visit his website. To learn more about the iCare training, visit https://www.icarecollaborative.org/ For the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, visit https://www.nctsn.org/

Jun 25, 2026

In this episode, Angela talks with Tim Keller of the Center for the Rights of Abused Children about asserting constitutional rights on behalf of your clients. You won't want to miss this discussion! For more information about the Center for Abused Children: Center for the Rights of Abused Children We discussed this free resource to jumpstart your practice: A Practice Manual for Lawyers Representing Abused and Neglected Children; Asserting, Arguing, and Appealing the Constitutional Rights of Children in Foster Care

Feb 26, 2026

In this episode, Angela, Jim and John discuss the way immigration policies and enforcement are harming children. We reference the following quote by Nelson Mandela as we discuss these issues: "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." As mentioned in the episode, we want to offer a way for you to reach out to members of Congress. Here are two options to locate your Representatives and Senators: Official: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Jan 6, 2026

In this episode, John, Jim and Angela discuss the transformative power of filing claims on behalf of your clients. We discuss your duty as a children's lawyer and the specific benefits to your clients. If you have questions or suggested podcast topics, you can reach us by email ([email protected]). If you like the podcast, please share with your colleagues, subscribe and rate the show!

Oct 15, 2025

In this episode, John and Angela take on the difficult topic of creating and holding boundaries with child clients. Filled with nuance and contradictions, the topic of boundaries is challenging for many children's lawyers. We hope you enjoy the discussion! Feel free to reach out with comments or episode ideas to Angela, at [email protected].

See all episodes →