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Center on Children and the Law

The Center promotes access to justice for children, parents, and families. Our team of attorneys and core staff work on a diverse portfolio of national, regional and local projects in the children’s law field throughout the country. Center projects are unified by two complementary goals: improving legal representation and improving the legal systems that impact children and families.

2024 Mark Hardin Award Recipients Announced

The ABA Center on Children and the Law is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Mark Hardin Award for Child Welfare Legal Scholarship and Systems Change are Professor Theo Liebmann from Hofstra University School of Law and Kristen Weber from the National Center for Youth Law.

Conference Registration

To register for the ABA Access to Justice Conference (April 9-10) or add your name to a waitlist for Parent Representation Conference learn more here.

Job Announcements

The Center is growing! We are currently hiring for three new ATTORNEY positions on our team. We also have two summer internships available in our immigration and health program areas.

Join our mailing list / Contact Us

Please fill out this form. Indicate if you wish to sign up for our mailing list, or type your question/request in the space provided. Please note that the Center does not provide direct legal representation and is unable to give legal advice.

Center News

Judicial, Court, and Attorney Measures of Performance (JCAMP)

In 2021, the Children’s Bureau funded the Capacity Building Center for Courts (CBCC) to develop a set of child welfare court, judicial, and attorney performance measures to help the field understand and improve child welfare court practice.

Court Improvement Program (CIP) Talks

CIP Talks are short video speeches by leading legal and child welfare experts highlighting how the legal community can work with partners to better serve vulnerable families and improve child welfare outcomes. The CIP Talks were produced by the Capacity Building Center for Courts in collaboration with the Children's Bureau.

Family First Act Resources and Tools

Access our resources on implementing the Family First Prevention Services Act.

Legal Representation Infographic

Our 2-page infographic explains the importance of high-quality legal representation for children, parents, and child welfare agencies in child welfare proceedings.

Download - Infographic

Project Areas

Center projects focus on strengthening courts, legal representation, and state and local systems. Topics include child welfare and intersecting issues: permanency, education, immigration, kin and relative care, and health.

See our - Project Areas

Training and Technical Assistance

The Center is a full-service training and technical assistance provider on a variety of child welfare legal-related topics.