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Overview

In October 2009, the U.S. Children’s Bureau named University of Michigan Law School the National Quality Improvement Center on the Representation of Children in the Child Welfare System (QIC-ChildRep).

The QIC-ChildRep, is a five-year, 5 million dollar project to gather, develop and communicate knowledge on child representation, promote consensus on the role of the child’s legal representative, and provide one of the first empirically-based analyses of how legal representation for the child might best be delivered.

Our Work

We are assembling one of the first compilations of existing knowledge regarding child representation. See ChildRep 2010 for a summary of state laws governing child representation from 10 sample states; a more in-depth review of how that law is applied in practice (10 state needs assessment); the academic articles on the topic; and evaluations of child representation. Read more...

Our Questions

What should be the duties and responsibilities of the child’s representative in civil child protection proceedings?

Who should represent the child in such proceedings? A lawyer? A CASA? A social worker? A team?

What does the child representative do that makes a difference in a child’s life?

How can effective representation for the child be accomplished? That is, what organizational structure best delivers legal services for a child?

By what criteria is effective child representation to be measured?

How should the child's representative accommodate the child's wishes in setting the goals of the advocacy?

Recent Developments

April 26-27, 2010 - The First Advisory Committee Meeting scheduled for Washington, DC.
March 2010 - Needs Assessment Key Informant Interviews begin for 10 states.
February 8, 2010 - The First Advisory Committee Meeting is snowed out in a record-setting, historic snow storm - “Snowmaggedon”.
December 9, 2009 - The QIC team makes initial presentation to the U.S. Children’s Bureau. More...
October 1, 2009 - U.S. Children’s Bureau announces that the University of Michigan Law School will serve as the National QIC for Child Representation. More...