5/23/08 -- A new study from Chapin Hall, "Expediting Permanency: Legal Representation for Foster Children in Palm Beach County," found that foster children represented by lawyers in juvenile court are adopted or placed in long-term custody with relatives up to three times more quickly than children without legal representation. The study, the first of its kind, examined results of the Legal Aid Society’s Foster Children’s Project, which provides legal representation to children up to age 12 who entered foster care in Palm Beach County, Fla., because of abuse or neglect. Increasing the rates of adoption and long-term custody for these children did not result in significantly lowered rates of reunification with their biological families.

The report is available at Chapin Hall’s website at http://www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1467.