This publication examines State laws that specify when a State court must provide legal representation for a child involved in child abuse and neglect proceedings and whether that representative must be an attorney, guardian ad litem, or a court-appointed special advocate.
The qualifications, training, specific duties, and compensation of the representative also are addressed. Learn more at: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/statutes/represent/
This publication presents a general overview of this aspect of child welfare law. Summaries of laws on this topic for all individual States and U.S. territories are available from the State Statutes Search page.