Center for Family Representation (CFR)

Our mission is to keep families together. We provide legal and social work services to primarily Black and Brown families at risk of separation through foster care or juvenile incarceration. CFR defends parents accused by the City of creating a risk to their children, and defends youth charged with a crime, always with the goal of eliminating the harm of foster care and juvenile incarceration. Youth who experience lengthy stays in foster care fare poorly, as do those who are jailed, with poor educational and mental health outcomes and greater risk of homelessness and criminal justice involvement as adults. We believe families and youth are better served with supportive services in their communities and legal and social work advocacy designed to keep families together and stable.