We Fight to Keep Families Together

Here in the South Bronx, just like other communities throughout the nation, there are thousands of parents who struggle every day to give their children opportunities. Mothers and fathers who take their children to the bus stop in the morning, attend parent teacher conferences in the evening, cook their families dinner at night, and tuck their kids in to bed. But all too often— because a father sat with his child on the fire escape one summer evening or because a mother herself was the victim of domestic violence— these mothers and fathers lose their children and are forced to watch as their families are thrown into the chaos of the child welfare system. Poor children of color, more than any others, languish in inefficient and unchecked foster care systems as their parents frantically try to fight for their return. All too often both parent and child, desperate for the simple chance to reunite are forced to spend years battling the foster care and child welfare systems.

In 2007, The Bronx Defenders Family Defense Practice became the first institutional provider of holistic representation on behalf of parents in the Bronx and the first defender office in the nation to offer holistic family defense to clients who cannot afford it. Everyday, mothers and fathers come through our doors distraught and overwhelmed. For a parent dealing with the often bureaucratic, complex, and frustrating child welfare and family court systems, the process is a nightmare. Our family defense lawyers, social workers, and parent advocates, as well as civil advocates work to ensure that families receive the support they need. Outside the courthouse we help parents create safe and stable environments for their children, we connect them to mental health and addiction treatment programs, and we advocate for them with foster care and other social service agencies. In the courtroom, we litigate the improper removal of children from their parents and offer creative and less drastic solutions to identified problems. We fight for families to stay together.