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Making “Least Restrictive” a Reality: Tools to Challenge Congregate Care Placements
Federal law has long required child welfare agencies to place children in the least restrictive setting. Research has shown that the effects of even one congregate care placement can have lifelong consequences for children, including increasing their likelihood to be arrested, drop out of school, and have lower levels of achievement overall. Despite good laws on the books and evidence of poor outcomes, states continue to over-rely on congregate care settings. COVID-19 exposed the many inherent dangers and limitations in congregate care settings, which we will review and incorporate into our strategies moving forward. This program will provide audience members with concrete tools, including how to collect and marshal the data regarding these congregate care placements and compare them to your client’s needs, in order to limit state agency reliance on these placements in your own caseload.
Presenters: Cristina Freitas, JD, Freitas & Freitas, LLP
Debbie Freitas, JD, Freitas & Freitas, LLP
Catherine Krebs, JD, Children’s Rights Litigation Committee, ABA