The Parent Representation Clinic: A mixed method evaluation of parent representation and law student education

Providing parents with low incomes accused of child maltreatment with legal representation is a basic social justice issue. The Minnesota state public defender’s office ceased representation of parents in child protection cases in 2008. The Child Protection Clinic was established in 2011 at William Mitchell College of Law to help fill this gap and develop standards for representing parents involved in the foster care system. The Clinic provides legal representation to parents with low incomes involved in child protection cases by law students supervised by experienced attorneys, as well as parent mentoring by African American mothers who have successfully navigated the child protection system.