Representing Children in Philadelphia’s Family Court System
By: Hannah Welsh
As a relatively junior attorney, the opportunity to volunteer with the Support Center for Child Advocates (Child Advocates) is incredibly rewarding—both for the experience and ability to practice important advocacy skills, but more importantly, to represent children in need of legal assistance. I first volunteered with Child Advocates in early 2021. My friend and mentor— then a colleague at my firm—had been volunteering at Child Advocates for years, and consistently shared the value of her experience with me.
At first, the prospect of representing children in Philadelphia Family Court was daunting. Not only did I lack experience, but I had no concept of how the Family Court system operated or what representing a child in the system would entail. After attending Child Advocates’ initial training, “How to Handle a Child Abuse Case,” I learned about the different proceedings volunteer attorneys would assist with, and felt comfortable with the wealth of resources the Child Advocates offers to new volunteers.
Shortly thereafter, I received my first volunteer case assignment: I would be representing one-year- old “Alice,” whose mother was, and continues to struggle with mental illness and addiction.
Immediately after taking the case, I met with the assigned Child Advocates social worker and consulting attorney, both of whom gave me thorough background information from family history to next court steps. I felt comfortable asking questions, and soon enough had my first hearing.
What started as a relatively simple case with young Alice quickly changed. Six months later, Alice’s seven-year-old half-brother, “Daniel”, was placed in the foster care system after state social workers received a call that he had been left unattended for hours in his father’s unlocked apartment.
Although Daniel’s father has been working to regain custody, the hearings have been difficult: the father struggles with substance use, lack of support in parenting, and oftentimes has difficulty acknowledging that he needs help.
Although the hearings themselves can be emotional, I’ve found that the most challenging and most significant work takes place outside the courtroom. Throughout each month, I have the honor of working with Child Advocates’ incredibly talented and dedicated social workers to identify issues that Daniel and Alice are having, plan visits to stay up-to-date with their progress and appropriateness of their placements (family members working hard to keep them healthy, safe, and happy), and create action plans to ensure that the kids receive the absolute best care. I often remind myself that my job as a volunteer is not to fight every and any battle, but to keep Alice and Daniel’s best interests in mind. At the Child Advocates, we work for the kids. Sometimes that means making the difficult decisions, but we always work toward the goal of reunifying families.
I have no doubt that I will continue to volunteer with the Child Advocates throughout my legal career. My experience thus far has been nothing short of rewarding, and the children we represent deserve the dedicated attention the Child Advocates provides.
Hannah L. Welsh is a volunteer attorney at the Support Center for Child Advocates.
Source: Philadelphia Bar Reporter, Vol 51, No 10. October 2022