Services

Legal Services for children in need have been at the heart of Child Advocates programs for more than 30 years. Several attorneys who have many years of experience in child welfare offer these critical services. Our attorneys are committed to providing legal assistance that helps children, who’ve been placed in the child welfare system due to abuse or neglect, find safe, secure, and permanent homes. Our Legal Services include:

Direct Representation:

Child Advocates is the only organization in Indiana that offers free, in-house attorneys to represent older children in the child welfare system and give them a voice in their future.

Children have many rights, such as the right to be present and participate in hearings and the right to have information about their case. But Indiana is one of a minority of U.S. states that does not guarantee or mandate that children have the right to an attorney. Sometimes, children need attorneys to advocate for what they want.

As Child Advocates, our attorneys want to empower older children with information, so they can make the best decisions about their case. We want to ensure that they receive procedural justice or fairness in the court process.

Learn more about the importance of providing counsel for children and how attorneys impact their lives.

Mediation and Facilitation Services:

Our Mediation and Facilitation services help resolve conflicts between the parties involved with children in child welfare cases. We hope to prevent long court trials and help children find a safe and permanent home sooner.

The Courts strive to protect abused and neglected children using an adversarial approach to problem-solving. Many families benefit from our different approach.

Learn more about how mediations and permanency facilitations work in the child welfare system.

Immigration:

Our Immigration team of attorneys and advocates assists children in the child welfare system who face immigration issues.

Often, when youth are involved in both immigration and child welfare systems, the steps to finding a safe, stable, and permanent home can be overwhelming.

Learn more about the impact of our services for immigrant youth.

Over the years, our educational advocacy for vulnerable children in the child welfare system has now expanded to serve children across Indiana who face educational obstacles.

Educational Liaison 

Our educational liaisons offer services, at no cost, to eligible students who are struggling in school. Our liaisons are former educators or they have worked in educational environments. They help improve outcomes for students who need additional social, emotional, and educational support to succeed in school due to trauma and other life challenges.

Learn more about our Educational Liaison services, including how to make a referral for help.

In Marion County in Indiana, 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 in the U.S. and serve as barriers to equitable and sustainable communities.

Interrupting Racism for Children (IRFC)

In 2010, we created Interrupting Racism for Children workshops to educate and move individuals to take action to stop racism in its tracks. We want to help create a future where children thrive and their race does not predict their life outcomes.

We have expanded our Interrupting Racism for Children workshops from the child welfare system into communities across Indiana, reaching thousands of people over the years.

Learn more about our impact today and how you can join us.

Statewide Access Site for the Child Mental Health Wraparound Program 

We are the state’s first single point of entry for the Child Mental Health Wraparound (CMHW) Program from the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA). We help families apply for the state-funded wraparound program if they have children with serious mental health or behavioral challenges.

Our family liaisons assist youth & families with the wraparound services’ application process. And we intentionally increase efforts to identify gaps in services for children who do not have regular access to mental and emotional health care.

Learn more about these critical services for children.