In 2019, the Walter S. Johnson Foundation invested in three legal organizations in California who were implementing high-quality representation for children and parents separated by the foster care system: Dependency Legal Services (Marin and Solano Counties), East Bay Children’s Law Offices (Alameda County) and East Bay Family Defenders (Alameda County). The presenting question was whether following certain attributes of legal representation would improve outcomes for children and families. The answer was a resounding Yes.

Each demonstration site committed to Family Justice Initiative (FJI)’s fundamental attributes of high-quality representation for families. These include: (1) caseload and compensation; (2) interdisciplinary practice model; (3) diversity/cultural humility; (4) timing of appointment; (5) support and oversight; and (6) accountability/use of data.

The demonstration sites worked to strengthen representation across each of these attributes, and the results from implementing this approach were overwhelmingly positive. Specifically, the sites saw:

• Less use of foster care and fewer placement moves for children in foster care
• Increased reunification
• Increased use of kinship guardianship
• Safe and stable returns home for children with low or no reentry to foster care.

Read more about EBFD’s impressive outcomes in the FJI publication Improving the Lives of Children and Families Through High-Quality Lawyering.