For decades, advocates, scholars, and practitioners have called on states to ensure quality legal representation for children in dependency, abuse and neglect, and termination of parental rights proceedings. In 1996,the American Bar Association declared, “All children subject to court proceedings involving allegations of child abuse and neglect should have legal representation as long as the court’s jurisdiction continues.” In its Enhanced Resource Guidelines, the National Conference of Juvenile and Family Court Judges asserted, “Children [in dependency and custody proceedings are entitled to representation by attorneys.” The need for such representation is backed by studies and research that have demonstrated procedural and substantive benefits arising from high-quality representation for children.
Legal-Representation-for-Children_-A-Matter-of-Fairness