Preserving Families Through High-Quality Pre-Petition Representation
Iowa Legal Aidâs Parent Representation Project has provided extended representation and services to nearly 300 clients, keeping a total of 468 children out of the juvenile court system.
By Amber Gilson and Michelle Jungers Share:
When families become involved with the child welfare system, they often experience negative outcomes. Perhaps the most devastating outcome is the removal of children from their parentâs home. The long-term effects of removal on a childâs emotional and psychological development are often very detrimental, and the scope of the problem is huge. Researchers at Washington University and Cornell University estimate that 34.7 percent of children in the United States are involved with Child Protective Services (CPS) at least once before they turn 18. According to the 2019 census, there were some 73 million children under the age of 18 in the United States, and in that year, n