High-Quality Legal Representation Resources
Children’s Legal Representation Research
- Evaluation of the Washington State Dependent Child Legal Representation Program (2021)
- Examining the Legal Representation of Youth in Foster Care: Perspectives of Attorneys and Attorney Guardians Ad Litem (2020)
- Examining legal representation for foster youth: Perspectives of foster parents (2019)
- Conceptualizing effective legal representation for Foster youth: A group concept mapping study (2018)
- Exploring the legal representation of individuals in foster care: What say youth and alumni? (2017)
- National Quality Improvement Center on the Representation of Children in the Child Welfare System (QIC-ChildRep) Summary (2020)
- National Quality Improvement Center on the Representation of Children in the Child Welfare System Research Summary (2016)
- Measuring the Impact of Children’s Right to Counsel (2016)
- Chapin Hall: Expediting Permanency: Legal Representation for Foster Children in Palm Beach County (2008)
- National Quality Improvement Center on the Representation of Children in the Child Welfare System (QIC-ChildRep)
Best Practices
- NACC Recommendations for Legal Representation of Children and Youth in Neglect and Abuse Proceedings
- NACC-Endorsed Standards of Practice and ABA Model Act
- Family Justice Initiative
- NACC Infographic on the Right to Counsel for Children in Dependency Cases
- “Using Preventive Legal Advocacy to Keep Children from Entering Foster Care”
Federal Guidance and Communications
- Children’s Bureau Information Memorandum 19-03: “Engaging, Empowering, and Utilizing Family and Youth Voice”
- Children’s Bureau Information Memorandum 17-02: “High Quality Legal Representation for All Parties in Child Welfare Proceedings”
- Children’s Bureau Express Spotlight on High-Quality Legal Representation
- How Attorneys and Judges Help Strengthen Families (NACC’s “The Guardian”)
- White House Executive Order on Strengthening the Child Welfare System for America’s Children
Children’s Justice
How to Improve Legal Representation of Children in the Child Welfare System
From 2009 to 2016 the University of Michigan Law School served as the National Quality Improvement Center on the Representation of Children in the Child Welfare System (QIC-ChildRep). This seven-year, multimillion dollar project, directed by Clinical Professor Don Duquette, conducted a national needs assessment that identified a substantial consensus on the role and duties of the child’s lawyer. The needs assessment led to the QIC-ChildRep Best Practice Model, an update and expansion of the 1996 ABA Standards for Lawyers Representing Children in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases. Released in 2016 as a 300-page softcover book, CHILDREN’S JUSTICE is the final report of the QIC-ChildRep project.
Authors: Donald N. Duquette, Britany Orlebeke, Andrew Zinn, Robbin Pott, Ada Skyles, Xiaomeng Zhou
Other Resources
- Family Justice Initiative Research Page
- Well-Being in Action: Expanding Equitable Access to Comprehensive Supports for Foster Youth – Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (2022)
- Effects of Funding Changes on Legal Representation Quality in California Dependency Cases (2020)
- NLADA and the Justice in Government Project: Civil Legal Aid Helps Children in Foster Care and Their Parents
- The Justice in Government Project: Key Studies on How Legal Aid Assists Children in Foster Care
- NLADA and the Justice in Government Project: Just Research Special Topic: Foster Care
- A Child’s Right to Counsel: National Report on Legal Representation for Abused and Neglected Children (4th Edition)
- NACC Study: Evaluation of Guardian Ad Litem System in Nebraska
- Expert Report of Donald Duquette
- NACC Infographic on the Right to Counsel for Children
- The Road from Attorney Panel to State-Run Program – Wyoming’s GAL Program History
- Case Study: Changing Lives through the Creation of a New Program – The Children’s Attorneys Project (MIE, 2018)
- “From Passenger to Pilot” – video by the Quality Improvement Center on Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency and Spaulding for Children