Jennifer Abrams Shares the Importance of Legal Representation for Foster Children

Foster children often face many difficulties in the course of their lives. Shuffled between homes, foster children often lack the sense of stability that their peers enjoy.

Jennifer Abrams, a family law attorney from Las Vegas, NV, shares how legal representation can help foster children achieve more stability and preserve their legal right to fair treatment.

Why Foster Children Need Lawyers

Neglected, abandoned, and abused children often find their way into the foster care system. This system is seriously underfunded in most states and suffers from an overabundance of young clients and a lack of qualified foster parents. To receive protection from the life circumstances that drove them into foster care, children need legal representation to help secure their futures.

Every Party Needs a Lawyer

There are often many competing parties in a courtroom setting for a custody or guardianship case, including the parents, foster parents, the state, and the child’s attorney. Each party pursues its own interests, meaning that the child’s best interest may not always be considered first.

Family law attorney Jennifer Abrams volunteers her time to make sure that the child’s needs are being met and the child’s voice is heard. She advocates for the child based on how the child thinks and feels about the child’s situation.

Even though the parents may be interested in regaining custody, their care may not be optimal for the child. The child’s advocate can help make sure that the child is in a safe and nurturing environment.

Conflicts of Interest

While state foster care systems may have been founded with good intentions to take care of abused and neglected children, the state generally has conflicts of interest that could further neglect or abuse the children in question. In addition to facing physical dangers, children who have been in foster care are at a higher risk of physical and mental health problems ranging from developmental delays to depression, asthma, and obesity.

Parents may want their children back, but sometimes they cannot provide a safe and loving environment due to their problems. Parents who are addicts or have anger management problems and mental illness may not be capable of taking care of their children full-time. The court may help get these parents into treatment for their issues, increasing the likelihood that the children will live with their parents at some point in the future.

Children’s Needs are Sometimes Overlooked

When only the state and the parents try to decide what is best for children, their actual best interests may be overlooked. Court-appointed advocates or pro bono lawyers may be the best solutions for children embroiled in court battles over their custody.

Being the subject of a court case can be confusing and upsetting for children, which is why the family law attorney handles their charge with care and compassion. If the lawyer senses that a situation is not best for their client, they will talk to the judge and the other lawyers on the case and try to formulate an alternative or compromise that will better take care of the child before litigating.

Help with Adoptions and Permanent Custody

A family law attorney can help facilitate a permanent custody situation or adoption for a child in foster care. Adoption, in particular, is a thorny legal field, and experienced family law attorneys like Jennifer Abrams help ensure all of the arrangements are above-board and, in the child’s best interest.

Taking Care of Vulnerable Members of Society

Too often, the needs of foster children are forgotten. Largely invisible in society, foster children can live painful and unstable lives. While most members of the foster care system are well-intentioned, overwork and overcrowding can lead to the neglect of these vulnerable children.

The foster care system is not easy to navigate, and it is filled with potential problems. A dedicated child advocate like Jennifer Abrams is essential for children in foster care. This advocate makes sure that the child is in the safest possible situation.

Finding Help When It is Needed

Parents and relatives of children in foster care need to understand that while having custody of their children may be considered ideal, they may not be able to take proper care of them. A family law attorney can balance the child’s needs against the needs of the state and the family and find the best situation for a child in the short term and the long term.

Many family law attorneys volunteer their time to improve the lives of foster children by representing their interests in court. Family law attorney Jennifer Abrams has made an enormous difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable children, altering the trajectory of their futures for the better.