Child Protective Proceedings

If you are a parent, and are involved in child protective proceedings, you have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you.

If you are involved in child protective proceedings, exercise your right to counsel. Please do not assume that you can adequately represent yourself, or that the system is designed to protect your rights. You will be consistently warned throughout proceedings that you could face the permanent loss of your children as a result of the proceedings. That is no joke -- get a lawyer.

Be forewarned that litigation in this area can be expensive -- but remember that your family is at stake.

Typically, your best ability to defend agains this type of proceeding will be in its initial stages. This is when many people try to proceed without lawyers, under the belief that if they consent to the court's taking jurisdiction over their children they will somehow improve their chances of securing the return of their children. The reality is usually quite different. Involving a competent lawyer at the start of legal proceedings can help ensure that your rights are protected, and may even result in the return of your children to your home.

Reforms in the 1990's have led to a system of laws in the United States that place a very high priority on permanence. If children have spent a year in foster care, courts and social workers are under considerable pressure to bring about a final resolution of their cases. At that time, if the parents are not ready to assume their responsibilities, or have not lived up to the court's demands upon them, it is likely that a proceeding will follow to permanently terminate parental rights.

While parents have a right to appeal from the termination of parental rights, it is rare for appellate courts to grant relief. Thus it bears repeating, you are best served by obtaining quality representation at the trial court level, at the earliest possible opportunity.