Organizations Providing Information on Child Welfare and the Law

Phone: (202) 662-1000

Fax: (202) 662-1755

The ABA Center on Children and the Law seeks to improve the laws, policies, and judicial procedures affecting children by supporting legal representation for youth, facilitating coordination between attorneys and caseworkers, reducing court delays, and providing training to court professionals involved in child welfare. ABA also supports: National Reunification Month and updates this website each June.

nadid: 11192

Phone: (202) 483-3399

Phone: (800) 888-7970

The American Adoption Congress (AAC) is an international network of individuals and organizations committed to honesty and openness in adoption and to reforms that protect all of those involved from abuse or exploitation. Membership is open to adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, professionals, and all others who share a commitment to the AAC's goals.

nadid: 899

Toll-Free: (800) 285-2221

Fax: (312) 988-6800

Email: familylaw@americanbar.org

The American Bar Association Family Law Section was organized to improve the administration of justice in the field of family law. Areas such as divorce, custody, adoption, alimony, and support are within the scope of the Family Law Section, as are emerging issues such as third party parental rights, marital torts, Federal and interstate legislation, mediation, and the complicated questions of paternity, perinatal drug addiction, bankruptcy to deprive divorcing spouses of property, and genetic engineering.

nadid: 11053

Phone: (202) 682-0100

Fax: (202) 289-6555

The AAICPC consists of members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. AAICPC has the authority to carry out the rules and terms of the the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), which establishes uniform legal and administrative procedures governing the interstate placement of children and is statutory law in all fifty-two member jurisdictions and a binding contract between member jurisdictions.

nadid: 11081

Phone: (202) 403-7937

Email: smccartney@aaicama.org

The Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance facilitates the administration of the ICAMA. The Compact is the legal mechanism by which member States regulate and coordinate the interstate delivery of services to children with special needs who are adopted pursuant to adoption assistance agreements. The Association provides technical and legal assistance, education and training, and materials on practice and policy issues.

nadid: 11082

Phone: (202) 662-1731

Email: Jennifer.Renne@americanbar.org

The Capacity Building Center for Courts, part of the Children's Bureau's Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative is a partnership of the American Bar Association, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the National Association of Counsel for Children, Public Knowledge, and Westat.The Center for Courts focuses on building the capacity of court improvement programs to improve child welfare practice in the courts and legal community.

nadid: 30330

Phone: (202) 906-8000

Fax: (202) 842-2885

CLASP is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty nonprofit advancing policy solutions for low-income people. Its focus is on developing practical yet visionary strategies for reducing poverty, promoting economic opportunity, and addressing barriers faced by people of color.

nadid: 11943

Phone: (402) 472-3479

General Scope: The mission of the Center on Children, Families, and the Law is to conduct research, analyze policy, and provide education and community service related to child and family policy and law. The purpose of the Center's activities is to enhance the well-being of children, youth, and families.

Training Specific: The Center provides competency-based case management training to child protection and safety workers and juvenile services officers employed by the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (NHHSS). The training covers a broad scope of services including: training needs assessment; assessment of worker performance; training development and delivery (pre-service, in-service, and specialized); and training evaluation. For additional information, see Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Protection and Safety Workforce.

nadid: 11432

Toll-Free: (800) 394-3366

Email: info@childwelfare.gov

Child Welfare Information Gateway connects professionals and the general public to information and resources targeted to the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Welfare Information Gateway provides access to programs, research, laws and policies, training resources, statistics, and much more.

nadid: 17904

Phone: (614) 236-6730

Fax: (614) 236-6958

Email: fylaw@law.capital.edu

The Family and Youth Law Center at Capital University Law School (FYLaw) works within child welfare, adoption, and juvenile justice systems to support positive outcomes for children, youth, and families. Established in 1998 as the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy, FYLaw partners with local, State, and national agencies and organizations in collaborations aimed at improving the laws, policies, and practices associated with child protection, adoption, and juvenile justice systems. FYLaw launched the Foster Youth Advocacy Center (FYAC) to provide civil legal services to young adults transitioning out of the child welfare system and families at risk of systems involvement.

nadid: 11742

Grandfamilies.org serves as a national legal resource created to educate individuals about State laws and legislation in support of grandfamilies and to assist interested State legislators, advocates, caregivers, attorneys, and other policymakers in exploring policy options to support relatives and the children in their care both within and outside the child welfare system. Grandfamilies.org is a collaboration between Casey Family Programs, the American Bar Association's Center on Children and the Law, and Generations United.

nadid: 23503

Phone: (860) 273-0441

Fax: (860) 273-8340

Lawyers for Children America (LFCA) is an advocacy organization that protects the rights of children who are victims of abuse, abandonment, and neglect by providing pro bono legal representation and collaborating for systemic change to improve the lives of children.

nadid: 22586

Fax: (202) 662-1755

Email: ccleducation@abanet.org

The Legal Center for Foster Care & Education (Legal Center FCE) serves as a national technical assistance resource and information clearinghouse on legal and policy matters affecting the education of children in the foster care system. The Legal Center FCE provides expertise to States and constituents, facilitates networking to advance promising practices and reforms, and provides technical assistance and training to respond to the ever-growing demands for legal support and guidance. The Legal Center FCE is a collaboration between Casey Family Programs and the ABA Center on Children and the Law, in conjunction with the Education Law Center-PA and the Juvenile Law Center.

nadid: 23582

The Legal Information Institute (LII) is a research and electronic publishing activity of the Cornell Law School. The Institute publishes electronic versions of core materials in numerous areas of the law both online and packaged for download.

The LII provides Federal and State information involving Adoption, Child Custody, and other Family Law topics. This includes links to full-text laws.

nadid: 13376

Phone: (303) 864-5320

Toll-Free: (888) 828-NACC

Fax: (303) 864-5351

Email: advocate@NACCchildlaw.org

The National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) works to improve the legal protection and representation of children by training and educating child advocates. The NACC sponsors conferences and seminars on important issues confronting child advocates and files amicus curiae briefs in selected court cases affecting children. The Association also has a national child advocate awards program, and a speakers bureau.

nadid: 11130

Phone: (412) 227-6950

Fax: (412) 227-6955

Email: ncjj@ncjfcj.org

The National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) is the research division of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ). NCJJ is a resource for independent and original research on topics related directly and indirectly to the field of juvenile justice.

nadid: 25136

Toll-Free: (800) 616-6164

Fax: (757) 220-0449

Email: knowledge@ncsc.dni.us

The National Center for State Courts is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the improvement of the justice system. NCSC accomplishes its mission by providing leadership and service to State courts, helping them improve the administration of justice and better serve the public. Leadership activities include developing policies to enhance State courts, advancing the interests of State courts within the Federal Government, fostering State court adaptation to future changes, securing sufficient resources for State courts, strengthening State court leadership, facilitating State court collaboration, and providing a model for organizational administration.

nadid: 11025

Fax: (501) 835-8099

TTY: (510) 835-8098

Email: info@youthlaw.org

The National Center for Youth Law is a private, nonprofit law office offering assistance to attorneys and organizations seeking legal remedies to protect children from the harms of poverty. The Center works to protect abused and neglected children, expand health care for children and youth, secure public benefits to meet their special needs, and improve child support collection. The Center produces the annual Foster Care Reform Litigation Docket.

nadid: 11026

Phone: (202) 624-5400

Phone: (303) 364-7700

Fax: (303) 364-7800

Fax: (202) 737-1069

Email: info@ncsl.org

The National Conference of State Legislatures promotes information sharing by tracking legislation and policy issues in State legislatures and the effect of Federal initiatives on the States. The NCSL offers information, publications, conferences, consulting services, and professional development seminars.

nadid: 11027

Phone: (703) 299-6633

Email: ncfa@adoptioncouncil.org

The National Council For Adoption promotes the well-being of children, birthparents, and adoptive families by informing policy leaders, the media, social service providers, and the public about the positive option of adoption. The Council is a charitable membership organization with a variety or functions: a think tank for adoption awareness and information, a provider of public information and education, and an advocate for adoption.

nadid: 11042

Phone: (775) 507-4777

Fax: (775) 507-4848

Email: contactus@ncjfcj.org

General Scope: The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) is dedicated to improving the court system's handling of juvenile and family matters through applied research, technical assistance, and continuing education of judges and juvenile justice professionals on family violence, child abuse and neglect, and child protection and custody.
Online Trainings: NCJFCJ presents a three-part national webinar focused on addressing racial equity and redefining poverty and neglect in the child welfare system.

nadid: 11028

Phone: (206) 774-7250

Toll-Free: (800) 628-3233

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children is a network of 933 community-based programs that recruit, train and support citizen-volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in courtrooms and communities. Volunteer advocates empowered directly by the courts offer judges the critical information they need to ensure that each child's rights and needs are being attended to while in foster care.

nadid: 11021

Phone: (202) 514-2000

Phone: (800) 851-3420

Fax: (301) 240-5830

TTY: (301) 240-6310

Email: askojp@ncjrs.gov

The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is a Federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide. NCJRS is a collection of clearinghouses supporting all the bureaus of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs. It also supports the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

nadid: 11007

Phone: (877) 326-5992

Fax: (814) 355-2452

Email: info@guardianship.org

The mission of the National Guardianship Association (NGA) is to provide educational, training, and networking opportunities for guardians and about guardianship. NGA strives to promote national standards and ethics for guardianship.

nadid: 24612

Phone: (202) 307-2942

The National Institute of Justice is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. The Institute researches crime control and justice issues, and provides evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, mostly at the State and local levels.

nadid: 11110

Phone: (703) 548-5522

Fax: (703) 548-5544

Email: info@nationallawcenter.org

The National Law Center for Children and Families (NLC) provides legal assistance, training, and education regarding obscenity and child pornography laws that protect children and communities.

nadid: 12333

Phone: (202) 452-0620

Fax: (202) 872-1031

Email: info@nlada.org

The National Legal Aid & Defender Association provides support, technical assistance, services, and advocacy for public and pro bono justice system professionals who serve primarily low-income clients, families, and communities.

nadid: 11029

Phone: (317) 407-8422

Email: Info@adoptionART.org

The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) is a national membership association of attorneys who practice, or have otherwise distinguished themselves, in the field of adoption law. Their Membership Directory, including members from the U. S. and Canada, lists attorneys who are well versed in the complexities of adoption law as well as interstate and international regulations regarding adoption.

nadid: 11093

Phone: (303) 871-4178

Toll-Free: (800) 871- 8702

Email: info@cbc4tribes.org

The Capacity Building Center for Tribes works to design and deliver tools and resources for tribal child welfare professionals in an effort to support tribal communities and meet their unique needs.
The Center offers an array of services, such as: products and tools, peer networking activities, and individualized expert consultation. Services are available at no cost to assist Tribal organizations with improving child welfare practice and performance.

nadid: 24192

Toll-Free: (877) 247-4645

Toll-Free: (800) 375-5283

TDD: (800) 767-1833

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States. USCIS provides accurate and useful information to customers, grants immigration and citizenship benefits, promotes an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensures the integrity of the immigration system.

nadid: 11073

Phone: (213) 223-2442

Phone: (212) 334-1300

The Vera Institute of Justice combines expertise in research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance to help leaders in government and civil society improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety.

nadid: 25231

Phone: (212) 551-3115

Email: info@wrcommission.org

The mission of the Women's Refugee Commission is to improve the lives and protect the rights of women, children and youth displaced by conflict and crisis. The Commission researches their needs, identifies solutions, and advocates for programs and policies to strengthen their resilience and drive change in humanitarian practice.

nadid: 25232

Phone: (773) 360-8920

Email: info@TheYoungCenter.org

The mission of the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights is to promote the best interests - safety, permanency and well-being - of unaccompanied immigrant children according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Center offers a model through which Young Center attorneys, who have experience in immigration and child welfare law, recruit, train and supervise bilingual law and social work students as well as lay volunteers, who are assigned to serve as Child Advocates (guardians ad litem) for individual unaccompanied children. The Young Center is part of the legal clinic at the University of Chicago Law School as an independent project.

nadid: 24779

Phone: (415) 543-3379

Fax: (415) 956-9022

Email: info@ylc.org

The Youth Law Center works to protect children in the nation's foster care and juvenile justice systems from abuse and neglect, and to ensure that they receive the necessary support and services to become healthy and productive adults. The Center's efforts have focused on strengthening families and advocating for education, medical and mental health, legal support, and transition services needed to assure children's success in care and in the community.

nadid: 24251