Carol A.  Carson, Esq. Director of Children and Youth Services Family Court Division of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia Ms. Carson is the director of Children and Youth Services for Family Court in Philadelphia. She is responsible for all prevention services, is chief of the Adoption Branch, and is beginning to develop programming policy for the dependency branch. She currently serves on several local and statewide committees committed to the welfare of children and families. Prior to accepting this position with the court, Ms. Carson was in private practice for 12 years and with the Defender Association of Philadelphia for 10 years, specializing in the representation of children. She received her B.A. from Northeastern University and her J.D. from Widener University School of Law.