We fight the fight for them—ensuring children are heard in family court. For us, it’s about providing child-centered advocacy and equip legal professionals with the right tools. Our goal is a justice system that puts children first—because their voices matter.
Our
Governance
The Child’s Voice Project is a sponsored project of the Goodnation Foundation. As a project under the Goodnation Foundation, the Child’s Voice Project works to further the mission of addressing the root causes of societal problems to meet urgent needs and create lasting impact.
Hear from family law attorneys, mental health providers, and former clients about the client-directed approach to child representation in custody proceedings.
As a parent attorney and a pro bono child advocate attorney in family court, I believe children deserve to have their own independent attorney if they are needed to testify about difficult events involving their parents such as domestic violence or substance abuse. It is critical for the child to have a trusted advocate to prepare them in advance for their testimony, explain the limits of confidentiality, walk them through what to expect, and support them through the experience. Children also need an advocate attorney in cases where a parent is unrepresented and lacks the education, language or literacy skills to present critical information to the court. Otherwise, the court does not receive the evidence to make an informed and child-centered decision.
Evonne Hopkins
Family Law Attorney, Raleigh Law Center, North Carolina
As a child psychologist, I have worked closely with child advocate attorneys to help children adversely affected by trauma, child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and reunification therapy. It is often difficult for children in these situations to heal when they are subjected to repeated re-traumatization within abusive families or the aftermath of family court decisions based on an incomplete picture of the complexity of family dynamics. The advocate attorneys I have worked with have a unique ability to listen to all "sides" of a complex case involving a child, speak to all relevant professionals, and advocate for the child's express wishes without alienating either "side." Children who had an advocate attorney seemed remarkably resilient once a permanent order was achieved, and promptly resumed much healthier and developmentally appropriate trajectories. I wholeheartedly recommend that children in these challenging cases be appointed an advocate attorney.
Diana Meisburger, Ph.D.
Raleigh, North Carolina
As a licensed clinical social worker with thirty years of experience working with families and adolescents, I now specialize in high conflict court-ordered reunification cases. I cannot imagine working on some of these incredibly challenging scenarios without the help of an attorney advocate for the child. These children deserve a voice beyond that of a therapist. They need to be heard and validated and that is what happens when they are paired with an attorney advocate. Teaching these children that they have rights and people to stand up for them is a game changer. The therapy I do with children fortunate enough to have an attorney advocate move through their healing process with less chaos and confusion around them as they interact with their attorneys who provide nurturance, support, stability, honesty, and an appropriate amount of information. Another benefit of an attorney advocate is that the court becomes twice as informed about the child. I could go on talking about the positive impact of an attorney advocate in many of my cases!
Cheryl B. Cohen
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Lepage Associates, Raleigh, North Carolina
