Our Programs

In Marion County, black children represent 11% of the child population; however, they represent 40.9% of children in the child welfare system. Racial disparities in child welfare, income, education and health continue to exist and serve as a barrier to just and sustainable communities. Interrupting Racism for Children educates and moves individuals to take action to stop racism in its tracks, creating a future where children thrive and race does not predict their life outcomes.

Join us to make a lasting impact for our children. Learn more.

The Mediation and Facilitation Program assists parties in finding amicable resolutions to challenging problems.  Our experienced team provides mediations for Child in Need of Services cases, actions to Terminate the Parent-Child Relationship and Contested Adoptions.  Additionally we offer permanency facilitations to address barriers that can keep children in care indefinitely.

Mediations and facilitations invite open conversation and creative exploration of possible solutions to real problems facing children and families.  Resolutions reached through collaboration are individually tailored to meet the specific needs of individual families and children, have higher rates of compliance and help avoid delays inherent in protracted litigation.  Mediations and facilitations have resulted in timely reunification, informal adjustments, CHINS adjudications, changes of custody, guardianships, third party custody arrangements, and adoptions often with post adoption contact agreements.

For additional information or to schedule a mediation or permanency facilitation, please contact us at Mediations@ChildAdvocates.net.

The Direct Representation Program provides attorneys to represent children in CHINS (Child in Need of Services) and TPR (Termination of Parental Rights) cases. Children have many rights, such as the right to be present and participate in hearings, the right to be part of their DCS case plan, and the right to information regarding their case. Sometimes, children need attorneys to advocate for what they want. The goal of the Direct Representation Program is to empower children with information so they can make the best decisions about their case, and to ensure the child’s procedural justice, or fairness, in the court process.

If you know of a child in a CHINS/TPR case who would like an attorney and they are currently removed from their home and 12 years of age or older, please go to this link to make a confidential referral.

Direct Representation Referral Form

The legal department at Child Advocates is comprised of ten attorneys with many years of experience in child welfare. Our attorneys are committed to providing legal assistance to GAL (Guardian ad Litem) and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) agencies with the goal of achieving permanency for children in the child welfare system.

Our attorneys at Child Advocates provide a wide variety of legal services to best accommodate the specific needs of our community’s most vulnerable children. These services include but are not limited to; appellate work, motion practice, legal consultation, petitions, testimony and trial assistance, training, immigration, CAPTA, etc. A full menu of said services will be available on our website soon!

Legal Referral Form (PDF)*

*Completed forms can be emailed to Carey Haley Wong (carey@childadvocates.net) or Cheryl Jackson (cheryl@childadvocates.net)