Create Permanent Families

Did you know?

• Hundreds of foster children in the District of Columbia are waiting to be adopted.
• Hundreds of young people “age-out” of foster care each year without a family to provide them with support to help them succeed.
• 16,000 DC children live with grandparents and other extended family members.
   

How Does CLC Create Permanent Families? 

Children’s Law Center provides free, high-quality legal assistance to foster parents, grandparents, and other relatives who wish to adopt or obtain guardianship or custody of children trapped in the child welfare system or at risk of entering foster care.

Children’s Law Center also represents children in custody cases when their family stability is threatened by domestic violence, allegations of abuse or high conflict between their parents.

CLC’s staff attorneys cannot, alone, represent all of the families in need. In order to help more children find stability and permanence, Children’s Law Center recruits, trains and mentors volunteer attorneys from area law firms to represent children in complex custody cases and caregivers in adoption, guardianship and custody cases. Sign up to be a pro bono attorney!

The Children’s Law Center also helps children find permanent families by representing children directly. Learn more about how we help children in foster care.