Child-Centeredness
Start with the child’s needs, safety, and voice — not the loudest adult in the room.
Learn more →Child advocacy · Family courts
Where every
child is heard.
We provide child-advocate attorneys at no cost to families and courts — and train the professionals who shape children’s futures.
Now piloting in Maryland family courts
Be part of the research.
Your experience can help change how family courts hear from children. There are two ways to take part right now.
The problem · Childhood adversity & ACEs
Adversity shapes a child —
but the effects aren’t inevitable.
Children should not be invisible in decisions about their own lives. Harmful or stressful experiences in childhood — abuse, neglect, instability, unmet needs, exposure to violence — can disrupt a child’s sense of safety and alter how they develop. Supportive relationships and child-centered practice help children build resilience, heal, and thrive.
63.9%
of U.S. adults report at least one Adverse Childhood Experience. Behind every number is a child who needed someone to listen.
Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011–2020 (MMWR).
Our solutions
Helping every child grow.
Three ideas guide our work — a child-centered approach that ensures children are heard, protected, and supported.
Protective Factors
Strengthen the conditions — stability, safety, being heard — that help children thrive through adversity.
Learn more →Child’s Rights
Every child has a right to be heard in the decisions that affect their life.
Learn more →Programs that put children first
From the courtroom to the research desk.
Courts
Our Child Advocate Attorney Pilot Program places trained attorneys for children at no cost — plus Education for Court Professionals.
Explore Courts →Education
Child-centered training and resources for the people who shape children’s futures.
Coming soonResearch
Defining Child-Centeredness, the Pilot Program Evaluation, and the National Family Court Survey.
Explore Research →Our research
Evidence that a child’s voice changes outcomes.
Research is a core pillar of our work. Using data from our Child Advocate Attorney Program, CVP is leading one of the most comprehensive evaluations of child advocate attorneys in family court to date — led by Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Stef Sloan, a forensic child custody evaluator and principal investigator on national, federally funded studies. Every study is conducted under Institutional Review Board oversight, with children’s experiences at the center.
75%+
of cases in our Child Advocate Pilot have reached settlement or are actively moving toward resolution — with de-escalated conflict and more durable agreements. 38 children represented across St. Mary’s & Charles Counties, Maryland.
Source: CVP Child Advocate Pilot Program Evaluation — early findings, IRB-approved and ongoing.
Defining Child-Centeredness
A child interview study asking children themselves what being seen, heard, and understood actually looks like — each interview illustrated as a graphic recording the child keeps.
Recruiting now: ages 5–17Pilot Program Evaluation
A longitudinal evaluation of our client-directed Child Advocate Attorney model in Maryland family court, comparing case trajectories against best-interests representation.
Recruiting Maryland attorneysNational Family Court Survey
The first coordinated national effort to document the economic and well-being impact of custody litigation on families — addressing a real gap in the evidence.
Participate nowParents, young people, and attorneys can all take part. Reach our research team at research@childsvoiceproject.org.
Our vision
A new standard for a child’s voice.
01
Our Goal
Transform how family court sees children — as individuals with their own voices, agency, and experiences.
02
Our Hope
Set a new standard for child agency, alongside milestones like child-labor reform and juvenile justice.
03
Our Plan
Child-centered representation, professional training, evidence of impact, and systemic reform.
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