Making the Legal System Work
for Children and Parents

Learn About High-Quality Representation

The Family Justice Initiative is a national collaborative of children’s attorneys, parents’ attorneys, educators, researchers, national policy advocates, and lived experience experts who share a common goal: to increase access to high-quality legal representation for children and parents in child welfare cases. It’s led by the ABA Center on Children and the Law, the Children’s Law Center of California, and the Washington State Office of Public Defense.

Advocacy

What is high-quality legal representation and how can it help families?

Partnering for Families

We are a national initiative working to improve legal representation for families across the United States.

Connect

Support our cause and join the initiative.

Curious about our approach? Contact us today.
Reach Out

Our Founders

American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, Casey Family Programs, Center for Family Representation, and Children's Law Center of California

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What's New

Read recent news articles, research, and resources.

Video: Advancing Race Equity

NACC’s Counsel for Kids campaign has released a new video explaining nine ways providing attorneys for youth helps advance race equity. 

March 9, 2023

Providing High Quality Legal Representation in Child Welfare Cases Provides Better Outcomes for Kids

Judge Fransein touches on better outcomes for children with lawyers and proposed legislation to create a centralized office to remove the barriers that currently exist for children and parents to obtain high-quality legal representation.

March 3, 2023

Let’s not leave CT’s older foster youth to advocate for themselves

Not all states ensure lawyers for youth who stay in extended foster care after they turn 18, but in this article Stace Schleif explains why they all should. Kids in state custody need lawyers.

February 27, 2023