Overview

The mission of QIC-ChildRep is to gather, develop and communicate knowledge on child representation, promote consensus on the role of the child’s legal representative, and provide an empirically-based analysis of how legal representation for the child might best be delivered.
 

On this site is a draft of a prototype of child representation that would form the foundation of our Research and Demonstration sites. This “QIC ChildRep Best Practice model” is informed by current state law, our 10 state key informant needs assessment, and academic literature and is largely based on the 1996 ABA Standards of Practice for Lawyers Who Represent Children in Abuse and Neglect Cases (ABA Standards). 
 

We also have a summary of state laws governing child representation from 10 sample states. By the end of 2010 we intend to have all 50 state laws posted and organized by common theme to address the common questions around child representation. For the 10 sample states, we also have completed a more in-depth review to get a better understanding of not only the law on the books, but also how that law is applied in practice. (Review of State Laws) The website also includes all the academic articles and evaluations of child representation we can find. (If you know of any we do not have, please let us know.)  Eventually (3 to 4 years from now) we hope that our empirical data will provide guidance to states and policy makers, but in the meantime, we hope the current information will assist the many of you who are working hard to improve the administration of justice for children. 

On December 15, 2010, the QIC-ChildRep, in close consultation with the U.S. Children's Bureau, will post a Request for Proposal, and invite sites to apply for funds to implement the QIC Best Practice model of child representation. The RFPs for the R&D (research and demonstration) sites will be due January 30, 2011.  Our goal is to keep our process as open and transparent as possible. To that end, we have posted a draft of the Criteria for Selecting Research and Demonstration Sites on this website and invite comments on our framing. Please submit any comments by November 8, 2010 to QIC-ChildRep@umich.edu. Our research design will require quantitative and qualitative measures with suitable control or comparisons. We expect to award three sub-grants of approximately $200,000 per year for each of four years to R&D sites. This empirical data will help move the field toward a common understanding of what constitutes good representation for children. We sincerely hope that this project will not only benefit case management and access to services for children, but ultimately will improve child safety, permanency, and well-being.