Center Home > Projects > Parent Representation

Parent Representation

About the Project

Quality representation and due process for all parties in the child welfare system are essential, but not always achieved. Too often child welfare policy and case by case decisions are made without meaningful input from parents or their advocates. The National Project to Improve Representation for Parents Involved in the Child Welfare System strengthens representation of parents in the child welfare system through:

training and technical assistance for parents’ attorneys, courts and legislators;
networking opportunities --a listserv and national conference focused on parent representation;
providing resources to improve parent representation; and
supporting system reforms that ensure parents and their attorneys are given a voice in the child welfare system.

The project is a collaboration between the ABA Center on Children and the Law, Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Child Welfare Fund, and the Steering Committee for the National Parents’ Counsel Organization.

For more information, please see:

Contact Us: Please direct inquiries to Mimi Laver.

Project Partners: Casey Family Programs | Annie E. Casey Foundation | Child Welfare Fund

What's New!

The National Project to Improve Representation for Parents Involved in the Child Welfare System, in collaboration with the National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues and Michigan’s Child Welfare Services Division of the State Court Administrative Office, completed a comprehensive evaluation of how Michigan provides legal representation for parents in child welfare proceedings. The evaluation process began in September of 2008 and included a detailed review of local court rules and policy, surveys of parents, attorneys and judges, in-court observations and multiple focus group meetings and one-on-one interviews with stakeholders. The evaluation results and recommendations are included in the report “Legal Representation for Parents in Child Welfare Proceedings: A performance-based analysis of Michigan practice” available at the link below.

Michigan Report: Legal Representation in Child Welfare Proceedings

The National Project to Improve Representation for Parents Involved in the Child Welfare System hosted its first ever National Parents’ Attorneys Conference, on May 13th and 14th in Washington, D.C. The conference began with plenary speakers calling for attendees to take back the mantle of what it means to be a child advocate and to form a political movement to contest a national practice that exalts permanently severing parent/child ties and results in the overrepresentation of poor children and children of color in the foster care system. The conference materials are available at the link below. We have also included a link to conference materials relevant to parent representation from the National Conference on Children and the Law.

Parent representation articles appearing in ABA Child Law Practice will be posted below as they are published.

Cornerstone Advocacy in the First 60 Days: Achieving Safe and Lasting Reunification for Families

Training

The Parent Representation Project provides on and off site training and technical assistance to:

teach practicing attorneys how to improve their representation including providing practice tools;
help jurisdictions implement Standards of Practice for Parents’ Attorneys;
make the case to courts and legislators for improving parents’ representation; or
find ways to include parents and parents’ attorneys in committees and other decision-making coalitions.

For more information on how the Parent Representation Project can collaborate with your Court Improvement Project click here

For an example of a day-long training for parents’ attorneys click here: Sample Agenda

Written Materials



		Standards of Practice for Parents’ Attorneys Parent Representation Standards Passed by ABA House of Delegates - August 2006 Promoting Quality Parent Representation through Standards of Practice The Standards of Practice and related articles were developed under the Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues funded by the Children’s Bureau.


		Articles Related to Parent Representation Representing Parents in Child Welfare Cases: A Basic Introduction for Attorneys Representing Parents Effectively Post-ASFA Incarcerated Parents: What You Should Know When Handling an Abuse or Neglect Case A Family-Centered Model of Legal Representation For Parents in Child Protection Cases The Crab Fisherman and Children: A Constitutional Compass For the Nonoffending Parent in Child Protection Cases Out of State and Out of Luck: The Treatment of Non-Custodial Parents Under the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children But I Didn't Do Anything Wrong: Revisiting the Rights of Non-Offending Parents in Child Protection Proceedings Procedural Injustice: How the Practices and Procedures of the Child Welfare System Disempower Parents and Why It Matters Parents’ Social Workers Help Parents Succeed

Additional Reading Materials for Parents, Parents’ Attorneys and Advocates Michigan State Court Administrative Office, Parents’ Attorney Protocol Summary of Parent Representation Models Factsheet: The Impact of Visiting Select Cites to Social Science Literature on the Significance of Sibling Attachments as Relevant to Permanency Planning Issues Washington State Office of Public Defense, Parent Representation Program: Social Worker Practice Standards

Listserv

This listserv provides attorneys who represent parents from across the country with a networking opportunity. Share ideas on cases, tools you use with clients, and things you’ve done to improve your practice. Members want to know your challenges and success stories.

To join the Parents' Attorneys group: send a message to listserv@mail.abanet.org with "SUBscribe child-parentsattorneys YOUR NAME" in the body of the message.

Useful Links

These resources provide further information for parents, attorneys and advocates involved in the child welfare system.

Legal Representation for Parents

State Programs/Training/Support for Parent Representation

Parent Representation Law School Clinics

Parent Advocacy/Reform Organizations

CLP Articles on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System

This 7-part series offers practical guidance on engaging nonresident fathers in child welfare legal proceeding. For article list, click here. To learn more about the ABA Non-Resident Fathers Project, click here.