The Family Advocacy Section represents parents and children under the child protection statutes. It also represents adults who have been accused of violating a court order or injunction in enforcement cases. Enforcement proceedings are considered “quasi-criminal” because the client faces incarceration. The client has the same rights as a criminal defendant. Child protection representation is complex with many duties required by statute. The representation is client-directed depending on the age and maturity of the client. Representation in these cases is necessarily holistic because the goal is to have the child returned home after the issues regarding abuse or neglect are alleviated. If that does not occur, then the child may be placed in a different home with or without termination of parental rights.
