Barriers to Successful Reunification in Philadelphia
The Barriers to Successful Reunification in Philadelphia: Findings from the Perceptions of Birth Parents & Child Welfare Professionals project was…
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Report: Philadelphia Should Expand Its Kinship Care Program
We all know instinctively, and it is borne out in the research, that children do better with their families. Removal…
Transition Memo on Philadelphia Department of Human Services
For over three decades, the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services has represented thousands of low-income parents in child…
Parent to Parent: A Guide to Navigating Philadelphia’s Child Welfare System
Navigating the child welfare system can be confusing, emotional, and overwhelming to a parent. The CLS Family Advocacy Unit has…
Testimony on Philadelphia DHS and Improving Outcomes for Children (IOC)
The following testimony was delivered by CLS Managing Attorney Kathleen Creamer to Philadelphia City Council on June 14, 2016. Printer-friendly…
Trauma Histories and the Impact on Parents Involved with DHS
We often talk about the various kinds of traumas experienced by children in the child welfare system –the traumas that…
Family Advocacy: How Holistic Family Defense Helps Children Thrive
The conversation about child welfare is changing, both locally and nationally. While over 440,000 children are in foster care on any given…
Data Shows that Our Holistic Parent Representation Helps Kids Too
For decades, the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services has provided holistic family defense for parents involved in child…
CLS Scores Important Victory for Families in PA Supreme Court
CLS staff attorney Caroline Buck won a victory for families in an important new Pennsylvania Supreme Court case, In re…
PA Supreme Court Rules No Forced Drug Tests in Child Welfare Investigations
CLS contributed to a big victory for Pennsylvania families! On June 16, 2020 the PA Supreme Court unanimously held that…
H.R. 7976 (“Suspend the Timeline not Parental Rights”) Will Stop a Temporary Crisis from Turning Into Lifelong Tragedies
With many bipartisan allies, Rep. Gwen Moore (D. Milwaukee) is calling for child and family allies to prevent a looming…
CLS Supports H.R. 7976 TO #Stoptheclock and Help Families Reunify During the COVID-19 Crisis
CLS applauds H.R. 7976, the Protecting Families in the Time of COVID-19 Act, which was recently introduced in Congress by…
Parent/Child Visits in Philadelphia During COVID-19
Effective August 31, 2020, In-Person Visits Between Parents and their Children in Philadelphia DHS Custody are RESTARTED Download the flyer…
Report: Reforming the Child Abuse Registry System in Pennsylvania
Every year thousands of Pennsylvanians are placed on the child abuse registry for alleged child abuse or neglect, without first…
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Limits Power of Child Welfare Agencies to Search Family Homes
In a landmark ruling, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has held that Fourth Amendment protections extend to home inspections conducted by…
The Childline Registry: A Poverty Trap for Children and Families
Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law authorizes the Department of Human Services to maintain a statewide database known as the Childline…
