Most States Fail to Protect the Legal Rights of Children in Foster Care, New Study Finds
First Star to Launch National Campaign to Strengthen State and Federal Laws Protecting Abused and Neglected Children
PR Newswire
On April 24, 2007, the child advocacy organization First Star released “the peer reviewed study ‘A Child’s Right to Counsel.’” The study was conducted by child welfare experts and found “’glaring anomalies’ in how states protect the legal rights of foster children, leading to substandard levels of service and unacceptable outcomes in most states…15 states received failing grades…[and] only 5 states received A’s.”
Nebraska received a C grade, earning 73 out of a possible 100 points. First Star recommends that the Nebraska Legislature “require that all counsel be independent and child directed, that the child be present in all child protective, foster care or dependency proceeding, and that the legal appointment of the same legal counsel last throughout the appellate process and all subsequent reviews” (First Star, “A Child’s Right to Counsel” 69). The entire report on all 50 states may be found here or at First Star’s webpage.
First Star also launched a “national Campaign for a Child's Right to Counsel to encourage Congress and the states to guarantee legal representation for children in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases, and create uniform national standards for quality.”
