“Every child in every family in every community deserves the chance to thrive. Often the best way to help a child is to make sure children and their families are supported and have access to high-quality legal representation in court-involved child welfare cases….” Read more in the Tulsa World.

The Montana legislature supported several pieces of legislation to reform the child protection system, including one that would eventually mandate that children be represented in court by an attorney. Read more from Montana Free Press.

Earlier this week, CBS Sunday Morning news shared the experiences of Vanessa Peoples, Samantha Mungai, and their respective families, with the child protection system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSC1IKHrKt4  The report underscored racial and economic injustice in the system and the impossible choices families often face. It also grappled with the fact that family separation often harms children.  The […]

Ashley Chase, a Representative at the Office of The Child’s Representative in Denver Colorado, speaks with Jon Caldara of Independence Institute to discuss a new bill in the Colorado Legislature.

The momentum around Counsel for Kids (C4K) continued to grow during the 2022 legislative session, thanks to strong legislative champions and lived experience experts.   Dedicated policy advocates buoyed C4K Campaign efforts in Colorado and Indiana this year.  In each state, diverse coalitions of youth with lived experience in the child protection system, attorneys, foster parents, […]

Alaska foster youth will soon have more of a say in what happens with their cases.  In early April, the Alaska Supreme Court passed Order No. 1979, which amends court rules to allow foster youth the ability to attend hearings and have court-appointed attorneys argue their own wishes in their cases…. Under the new order, youth in […]

The Counsel for Kids (C4K) Campaign continues to grow – expanding state coalitions, evolving partnerships, increasing media visibility, improving public awareness, and enhancing tools and resources to influence policymakers.Youth should be seen, heard, and represented: watch our new video. Technical Assistance (TA) Requests In addition to ongoing technical assistance in Florida, Idaho, Indiana, and South Carolina, […]

As we work to improve our child welfare system through legislative reform, let’s ensure that the children at the center of our child welfare cases are seen, heard and represented. Let’s guarantee them the right to legal counsel…. Read more of Attorney and NACC State Coordinator Chelsea Peters’ op-ed in the Lewiston Sun Journal.

Attorney and advocate Rachel Roman-Lagunas featured in Indiana Lawyer article about Counsel for Kids efforts in Indiana.