Annual Reports: Legal Needs of Children

Ten years ago, a group was formed to study how to make sure kids in Florida have good lawyers. Six years ago, another group was formed to try to make the first group’s ideas into laws. They want to make sure that kids who need lawyers get good ones, and they are working on making it happen. This year, a committee worked with different organizations and people to create a law that says all kids in Florida have the right to a lawyer if they are involved in a case about their safety and well-being. This law also says the state will pay for a lawyer in certain important cases where the child’s rights are at stake. The law was approved by the Florida Bar, and it means that children in Florida will have help from a lawyer when they need it. The legislation in the bill is focused on helping children in state care, especially those who have been in the system for a long time, children with disabilities, children on psychotropic medications, in residential treatment facilities, and those aging out of the system. The Florida Bar is working hard to protect the budget for the program that represents these children. They are also working on getting certification for child welfare advocates and have completed guidelines for delinquency cases. The chair of the committee thanked everyone involved for their hard work, including the Bar staff.

Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/annual-reports-legal-needs-of-children/