In Depth

"Community Action Teams support families in safely and quickly reunifying because staff provides intensive help for families outside of court and provides the court with information about the family's strengths, challenges, and progress so the judge can make informed permanency decisions."
— Sue Jacobs, executive director, Center for Family Representation.

When a young person enters foster care, the result can be devastating, not only for the youth, but also for his or her family. One New York City nonprofit is seeking to help these children and families.

The Center for Family Representation, Inc. (CFR), in New York City, and its Community Action Teams (CAT) work with families from the start of a child welfare investigation and as soon as a youth enters foster care. CAT staff serve as advocates for parents, representing them in court and helping them understand legal proceedings, interact with child welfare staff, access services, and reunify with their children.

In the past, parents relied on attorneys who interacted with them solely at court appearances. One result was that safe reunifications were often delayed because families' needs were not met or limited information about the family was provided to the court.

CAT teams, by contrast, use interdisciplinary teams of lawyers, social workers, and parent advocates. Social workers are skilled in assessing parents' needs, working with them to understand underlying clinical and social issues that brought their children into the system, finding community services, and ensuring positive, therapeutically appropriate visits between parents and children.

CAT parent advocates are parents who were separated from and successfully reunited with their children; they "have been there." They provide empathy, support, and a model of someone who also faced serious family struggles and ultimately succeeded.

CAT has proven to be highly effective in safely reuniting parents and youth in foster care in a timely way. They have made family permanence through reunification a reality for many New York City teens who would otherwise remain in foster care.

CAT's success is particularly noteworthy because their clients are among those with whom child welfare agencies traditionally struggle to work effectively. The vast majority are people of color, new or undocumented immigrants, and single and teen parents. CAT clients often struggle with a range of challenges that can significantly impact their ability to safely and quickly reunify with their children: substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health problems, unemployment, substandard housing, and failing schools.

More than half of the teen parents that CAT serves are graduates of foster care or in foster care at the time of CAT services. Staff mentor these youth and support them. Often, the CAT social worker assists teen parents to return to school, engage in parenting programs appropriate to their age and challenges, and find stable housing.

Permanence for youth is enhanced by the fact that CAT keeps cases open after reunification. After youth return home, CAT staff assure that parents and youth remain connected with services, and the teen remains available to help families with issues as they arise.

CAT staff help parents build on their strengths, remain connected with their children in foster care, and actively engage in the permanency planning process. CFR Deputy Director Michele Cortese describes this as "a legal representation model that serves parents and older youth well."

Replication of CAT

In March 2007, the City of New York expanded funding for CAT to serve over 700 families each year in Manhattan Family Court. In over half the cases where a parent is suspected of neglecting a young person, judges in Manhattan Family Court assign their case to CAT. This expansion has meant a tripling of CAT staff. CAT's expanded reach is supported by a new data system that provides critical outcomes information on the program. Within the next year, CFR will be able to provide extensive data outcomes on the children and families it serves.