Child Welfare
In Court, Children are Unseen and Unheard
My 16-year old client – a young woman who had already spent several years in foster care – just wanted to share her story in court. She hoped to tell the judge the ways in […]
lawyers
Child Welfare
On Legal Fees for Parents and Children, Trump Administration Scores One for Basic Republican Values
As a registered Republican for more than 40 years, I am heartened by a recent reform by the Children’s Bureau of the Trump administration. It increases flexibility for states to manage their child protection systems, […]
Child Welfare
Lawsuit Seeks Constitutional Right to Counsel for Kids in Three Indiana Counties
In a lawsuit that could theoretically set a precedent for legal guarantees in child welfare proceedings, a team of lawyers wants to force three Indiana counties to provide lawyers to all youth involved with the child […]
Child Welfare
In Major Reversal, Feds Will Now Help Pay Child Welfare Legal Fees
A major barrier to funding legal representation in the child welfare system was basically just eradicated with an update to the question-and-answer section of a federal manual. Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services […]
Child Welfare
A New Digital Library to Help Train Social Workers, Attorneys on Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice
A trove of court and casework footage is now available for agencies and universities looking to make child welfare and juvenile justice training more dynamic. Calamari Productions, the small production company quietly behind several award-winning documentaries […]
Child Welfare
Why The Washington State Supreme Court Got It Wrong on Lawyers for Kids
Over the past year, there has been increased attention on the right to legal representation for children who have been separated from their families at our borders. Images and stories of young children attending court […]
Child Welfare
Washington High Court Limits Lawyers for Foster Youth, Bans Juvenile Life Without Parole
Not all children in child welfare cases in Washington state are entitled to a lawyer to represent them in dependency court, according to a ruling earlier this month from a divided Washington State Supreme Court. Most […]
Child Welfare
Termination of Parental Rights: What’s The Rush?
If a parent is unfit and cannot care for his child, we should automatically terminate his parental rights. Right? Well, maybe not. A few years back, one of my former clients – a child who […]
Child Welfare
Push to Guarantee Lawyers for Florida Foster Youth Falls Short
An attempt to constitutionally guarantee legal counsel to children removed from their parents in Florida fell short this week, leaving proponents to mull other strategies for providing lawyers to kids in foster care. The Constitutional […]
Featured
Report Offers Blueprint for Building Better Juvenile Representation System
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s In re Gault decision that established the right of children to counsel in juvenile court. In opening the way for a system of legal representation […]