Much of our time and effort as advocates is spent trying to mitigate the harm of these systems that are oppressive, structurally inequitable by design, and which bear down most heavily on Black, Latine, and low-income communities. It has also made the filing of termination of parental rights petitions-an attempt to dissolve a family -more likely because cases are pending longer and families are less able to fulfill service plan requirements mandated to regain custody of their children.Īs public defenders, we bear witness to the racist, classist, and ableist forces restricting our clients’ access to resources and opportunity. Already, New York City’s family regulation system is unequally applied, largely targeting poor families, the majority of which are Black2 and Latine.3 The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the harm of family separation for parents and children, created conditions ripe for families to be targeted by the family regulation system, and slowed the progress towards reunification for families already before the family court. The harrowing cascade of physical and mental health consequences, economic devastation, the lack of access to desperately needed material resources, and social disruption have fallen disproportionately on the families we serve: low-income communities and Black and Latine people. The COVID-19 pandemic altered every aspect of city life and has brought into sharp relief race disparities and inequities in our social service systems, including in our health, education, employment, and legal systems. We thank the Committee on General Welfare for the opportunity to testify about the family regulation system1 during the COVID-19 crisis. Our model connects clients with attorneys, social workers, and parent advocates to provide comprehensive representation and advocacy both in and out of court. Together, we have created a model of interdisciplinary representation for parents charged with abuse or neglect and at risk of losing their children to the foster system. Our offices are the primary providers of mandated legal representation to indigent parents in Article 10 cases filed in family court in each of our boroughs (collectively the “family defense providers”). This testimony is submitted jointly by Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS), the Bronx Defenders (BxD), Center for Family Representation (CFR) and the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS). Oversight hearing: The Child Welfare System During COVID-19
The New York City Council Committee on General Welfare Testimony of the Article 10 family defense providers:īrooklyn Defenders Service, The Bronx Defenders, Center for Family Representation, and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem
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