On July 26, Governor Sununu signed into law Senate Bill 463-FN that guarantees legal representation to youth placed in any group home, child care institution, or state operated residential treatment facility. Implementation of the bill will occur in phases according to a child’s age, with full implementation by July 31, 2026 for children in facilities within New England. All children […]

The first half of the year was filled with activity for the Counsel for Kids campaign. The campaign supported policy reform in several states, released new and timely resources, as well as participated in multiple engagements to raise awareness about why children in court need lawyers of their own. New Federal Title IV-E Foster Care […]

May 1 is Law Day and the start of National Foster Care Month. May 15 is the anniversary of the case In Re Gault – which guaranteed lawyers for youth experiencing the criminal legal system.  At the intersection of access to justice and children lies the unfortunate reality that 13 states do not guarantee legal […]

New Hampshire considered (retained) House Bill 535 (2023) during a closed interim Children and Family Law Committee session on October 31. As amended, it requires the appointment of legal counsel for children placed in institutions or group homes and permits judges to appoint attorneys to any child in child protection court proceedings. The committee made an “ought to […]

NACC invites all practitioners to join us for our inaugural virtual training series: High-Quality Legal Representation for Infants and Toddlers. Presented by NACC staff, and created in partnership with the ABA Center on Children and the Law, the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center, Zero to Three, and the Kempe Center, this first-of-its-kind training series focuses […]

The first half of the year has been full of activity for the Counsel for Kids campaign. The campaign supported successful policy reform, released new resources, and held various engagements to spread the word about why children in court need lawyers of their own. Campaign Legislative Progress The C4K campaign celebrates a victory for children […]

Last week, Montana passed Senate Bill 148, which guarantees right to counsel for children experiencing the child protection system by statute. With the passage of this law, Montana becomes the 37th state to guarantee counsel for kids. The law requires the court to appoint Expressed/Stated-Interest legal counsel in all dependency cases. The Counsel for Kids […]

Executive Summary of Initial Outcome Evaluation of NACC’s Counsel for Kids Campaign by Sarah Bryer Consulting In the spring of 2021, the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) launched a state-based “Counsel for Kids Campaign” (Campaign) to ensure the right to counsel for every child in the child welfare system. The Campaign incorporated twin […]