Article: Fault Lines and Opportunities
FJI Executive Team Member Prudence Beidler Carr co-authors an article about ways to improve the child welfare legal system to safeguard family integrity.
It’s Not Enough To Mean Well
FJI Communications Workgroup Co-chair Cathy Krebs discusses racism in child welfare in her article for The Imprint, “It’s Not Enough to Mean Well”.
Active Efforts in ICWA Cases During the Pandemic
Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) cases are being severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: courts are delaying time sensitive hearings, tribal family’s visits are being disrupted or canceled altogether, and case plan services are being put on hold. This raises concerns of whether active efforts tribal families need in order to reunite with their children…
During Coronavirus, High-Quality Legal Representation Can Be a Lifesaver for Families
FJI leaders describe how high-quality legal representation for parents and children helps families reunify during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Child Welfare Cases, Just Any Old Lawyer Won’t Do
“This pandemic has provided a long-overdue jolt to our system. This jolt gives us the chance to re-examine our broken system and to reimagine how we can better support families. Strong legal representation by institutional providers is a first step.” Read the full article here.
In Child Welfare Cases, Just Any Old Lawyer Won’t Do
Covid-19 crisis brings focus on why high-quality legal representation for children and parents is needed to fix a broken child welfare system.
Breaking News: Child Welfare Policy Manual updated to clarify use of federal funds
Child Welfare Policy Manual updated to clarify that federal funds may be used to support administrative costs of paralegals, investigators, peer partners or social workers that support parents’ and children’s attorneys. See Child Welfare Policy Manual, Section 8.1B, Question 32.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau issues guidance to courts, attorneys and child welfare agencies during the COVID-19 public health crisis.
CB urges courts to refrain from making sweeping blanket orders ceasing, suspending, or postponing court hearings and reducing or suspending family visitation. Read the letter here.
Welcome Joanne Moore!
We are happy to announce that Joanne Moore, the Director of Washington’s Office of Public Defense (OPD), will be our newest FJI Executive Team member. Under Joanne’s leadership OPD’s Parent Representation Program has grown into a model for providing high-quality legal representation to parents through a statewide office. Washington’s Parent Representation Program has been evaluated…