Counsel for Kids Summer 2026 Update

Counsel for Kids Going Strong at Year 5

Five years ago, the National Association of Counsel for Children embarked on a journey to close the access to justice gap and ensure legal representation for every child in foster care. Today, NACC is well on its way to achieving this vision in one of the fastest-growing child welfare movements in the country.  

NACC’s Counsel for Kids Campaign has advanced landmark policy reforms and built unprecedented momentum at state and federal levels. This year alone, the campaign made significant progress, leading to expanded access to counsel in Alaska and Illinois! The question is no longer asking whether children need lawyers – it’s demonstrating how states can make that vision a reality.

Since its inception in 2021, the Campaign has helped:

  • Introduce 40 bills;
  • Enact 15 new state statutes or court rules;
  • Testify at 26 legislative hearings;
  • Submit written testimony for 56 state legislative hearings;
  • Establish or expand the right to counsel in 6 states (AK, IL, MT, ND, NH, WA);
  • Improve the quality of children’s legal representation in 9 states (AZ, CA, CO, GA, IL, MO, MT, MS, NM)

View the campaign impact maps.

Federal Update

For a second time, a landmark stand-alone bill was filed in Congress! Counsel for Kids applauds legislative champion Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), who filed HR 8997, The Right to Representation Act in May. The bill would ensure access to legal counsel for children and parents in child welfare court proceedings nationally!

Organizations can sign a letter to Congress in support of this legislation. Deadline to sign on is August 21.

This sign-on letter is for organizations only. If you are an individual who supports the Right to Representation Act, contact your Representative in Congress and tell them to champion this legislation!

Advocates Support the Right to Representation Act

In June, The Imprint published Eunice Mejiadeu’s op-ed: “How One Attorney Can Change Everything for a Foster Youth”. Mejiadeu illustrated why every young person needs an attorney and called upon Congress to pass this bill.

The Washington Times published Nikolas Hughey’s letter to the editor: “Congress should guarantee lawyers for foster children,” comparing the experiences of youth in states that guarantee an attorney and those that do not. He also raised potential legislative solutions.

The Washington Examiner published Darcy Olsen’s piece on how a national right to counsel can make kids safer and help prevent trafficking.

What’s New at the End of State Legislative Sessions?

In 2026 state policymakers expanded access to justice for youth in care in three states, demonstrating reform across regions, political environments, and legal systems.

Alaska enacts House Bill 36, which amends Child in Need of Aid Rules (CINA) of Procedure Rule 12.1 to require the court to appoint legal counsel to a child in the department’s custody who is placed in a hospital to receive psychiatric care.

The law also requires the Department to notify the court and parties to the CINA case within 24 hours of the admission. The court must review the admission within seven days. HB 36 became law on June 22.

Colorado enacts House Bill 26-1227 clarifying that children and youth are parties who have standing in their own cases and the related right to have their GAL or Attorney fully represent their interests.

The bill also includes a provision that gives youth a right to legal process before the Department can dismiss the case over their objection. NACC submitted this letter of support to committee members. Governor Polis signed the bill into law on June 1.

The Illinois legislature passed House Bill 4966 (The SECURE Act) that guarantees the right to client-directed counsel for youth eight and older who are placed out-of-state.

This proposal draws attention to the attorney’s role holding the state accountable for its continuing responsibilities to children in out-of-state placements to ensure they are not subjected to harm, discrimination, or denial of care that would be lawful and medically appropriate under Illinois law. On July 10, Governor Pritzker signed the bill into law. 

Counsel for Kids in the News

As the campaign’s impact has grown, so has national interest in the importance of children’s legal representation. Media outlets, legal publications, podcasts, and advocacy organizations are increasingly highlighting the evidence behind Counsel for Kids and elevating the voices of advocates working for reform.

Alaska’s June edition of the Bar Rag published “An Attorney for Every Child in Foster Care: Paving the Way to Child Protection Systems Improvement” (pages 26-27) written by Alaska Practitioner Scott Sterling with contributions by NACC Policy Counsel Natalece Washington. 

As a state with limited appointment of children’s lawyers, Alaska remains a priority for the campaign. A primary strategy is educating policymakers on the pitfalls of a system with conditional appointments (an approach replicated in Florida, New Hampshire, and North Dakota) and highlighting the immense value of high-quality legal representation for every party.

Policy Counsel Washington will travel to Alaska in the fall to present to practitioners in a Continuing Legal Education session and to judges in a session at the annual judicial conference on these topics.

NACC’s Natalece Washington and Allison Green spoke with Eppic Podcast about expanding access to counsel for children in child welfare cases.

The Imprint published an opinion piece by Ryan O’Donnell, “The Legal Fight to Ensure ‘A Home for Every Child’ Begins With the Family They Already Have“, which emphasized high-quality legal representation is essential to helping young people find permanency.

Spreading the Word

On May 19, Policy Counsel Natalece Washington presented Seen Heard and Represented: Best Practices for Meaningful Youth Participation in Court Proceedings at the North Dakota Judicial Institute.

CIP data collection revealed that North Dakota judges have a strikingly low percentage of child attorney appointments across jurisdictions. Though the law allows appointments to any child of “sufficient age and competency,” very few attorneys are appointed to children. Judges indicated relying on lay/non-attorney GALs perspective of the child’s capacity when deciding whether to appoint a lawyer.

C4K Campaign efforts in North Dakota must focus on training judges and lay GALs on the developmental science that demonstrates young children have capacity to participate in the attorney-client relationship. Then there must be systemic oversight to ensure appointments are in accordance with the law before expansion of the right to counsel to all North Dakota children is possible.

Getting Ready for 2027 Legislative Sessions

Although state legislatures have adjourned for the year, the movement is not slowing down. The most successful legislative victories are built during the months between sessions through coalition building, policymaker education, strategic communications, and technical assistance. Each win builds momentum for the next, creating a ripple effect as lawmakers increasingly look to neighboring states and proven models for reform.

What can you do this summer or fall to get things moving?

New Resources

The Counsel for Kids Campaign is pleased to share several new additions to our toolkit to support C4K policy advocacy.

We are happy to announce the publication of Seen, Heard, and Represented: A Policymaker’s Guide to Counsel for Kids (2nd edition). This seminal tool equips lawmakers, stakeholders, and advocates with comprehensive guidance on why youth require legal counsel, the best way to deliver high-quality legal services, and how state systems can reform. 

The campaign updated the second edition with fiscal analysis on how children’s attorneys reduce public spending, federal policy initiatives, the organizations endorsing counsel for kids, and tip sheets detailing how lawyers make a difference in a variety of subject areas.

Additionally, learn how the Counsel for Kids campaign is fighting to ensure every child in foster care has a fierce attorney protecting their legal rights.

Organizations across the country and the political spectrum support counsel for kids – see the list!

These new resources reflect lessons learned from five years of advocacy across the country and equip states to build on our momentum.

Support the Campaign

We are closer than ever to achieving a future where every child in foster care has a qualified attorney protecting their legal rights. But this momentum will continue only through sustained advocacy, strategic partnerships, and public support.

With state victories multiplying, growing national attention, and federal legislation now on the table, this is a defining moment for the movement. Your support helps ensure we don’t simply celebrate progress—we finish the work. Support the campaign.