Why Kids Need Lawyers: Representing Children in Child Welfare Proceedings

When a parent is charged with abuse or neglect, courts make decisions that can change a child's life forever. But who represents the child in the court proceedings? What does "representing" a child even look like? Are legal skills necessary to such representation, or does "lawyering" get in the way?

In this program, two New York City-based attorneys for children, Carolyn Silvers and Meridith Sopher of The Legal Aid Society's Juvenile Rights Practice, examine the laws governing the representation of children in child welfare dependency proceedings and discuss why attorneys are critical to a just outcome in these cases. 

1. Identify the interests at stake for children whose parents are charged with abuse or neglect
2. Review federal framework for the representation of children in child welfare dependency cases
3. Gain insight as to the need for an attorney to represent the child in these cases
4. Explore different models of child representation around the country and their due process implications
5. Recognize the legal guidance for determining a child's best interests, and the challenges inherent in that determination
6. Understand the client-directed advocacy model used in New York and its benefits for all participants in the child welfare court proceeding