 Parents Representation Program: Helping Children and Families in the Child Welfare System
A recent study by Partners for Our Children found the Parents Representation Program, which provides legal representation for parents in dependency and termination hearings, speeds reunification of children with parents. When children cannot reunify with their parents, they are adopted or enter guardianships more quickly.
Legal representation in juvenile court has long been recognized by most states as an essential protection for parents when children are taken from their custody. The Parents Representation Program (PRP) was developed by the Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD) and the 1999 Washington State Legislature to enhance the quality of defense representation for those parents.
For more information about PRP, the study and its findings, please click here. |
Out and About
We'll be at the Children's Justice Conference, on May 10, conducting a workshop with the Court Improvement Training Academy and the Office of Public Defense. "Place matters: understanding and improving local permanency outcomes" will be a discussion on our research and innovative efforts, like the Parent Representation Program, to improve case outcomes in court. Bring your coffee and join us Tuesday, May 10th, from 8:00- 10:00 a.m.!
Click here for more information about the Children's Justice Conference.
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From Evidence to Practice - Family Visitation in Child Welfare
 Evidence has shown that family visits are valuable opportunities for children to heal and cope with the trauma of being separated from their families while in foster care. Click here for our Evidence to Practice brief on best practices around visitation. |
