The Family Defense Project (FDP) works with financially-eligible Multnomah County parents who are experiencing a CPS (Child Protective Services) investigation.
To access help, please email familydefense@youthrightsjustice.org.
By addressing legal and resource needs, FDP will empower families, protect children, and prevent foster care placement. While foster care can be a necessary intervention, it is expensive and not without significant harm to children and families. Children who spend time in foster care have worse outcomes in education, employment, income, housing, health, substance abuse, and criminal involvement when compared to their peers in the general population.
FDP utilizes an attorney and a social worker to provide proactive, short-term legal representation aimed at legal issues and needs directly related to keeping children out of foster care. FDP anticipates receiving referrals from a variety of sources, including hospital social workers, service providers, other legal services providers, and agencies.
By working together with our community, the Family Defense Project strives to keep more children safely with their families and allow child welfare to focus its resources on those families that need it most.