Welcome to the Child Welfare Parent Advocacy Library of Legislation, Regulation and Guidance
We created this library of policy efforts in several countries that reflect the goals of the child welfare parent advocacy movement so that parents and their allies working to transform child welfare systems around the world can learn from each other’s policy challenges and successes.
In this library you will find legislation (bills that have been passed into law and some that have not) as well as policies that have been changed at the administrative level.
Policy efforts in this library show how parents and their allies grew parent advocacy programs; strengthened due process protections for families; addressed the overrepresentation of Indigenous, African-American, Roma and poor families in child welfare; protected family bonds; improved access to and quality of legal representation for parents; increased investment in preventive services for families at-risk of separation; and increased investment in primary family supports for all families.
The library is in no way comprehensive. It is, instead, an effort to highlight some important efforts that have been made in this field, often by IPAN members themselves. In it you will find links to bills, laws, administrative regulation and guidance. You will also find articles that provide history and context for these policy efforts. Lastly, the library features interviews with IPAN members about their role in making change happen. These interviews offer precious insights into the many steps that go into changing policy, from changing public opinion through media, to working with lobbyists, to getting allies and adversaries on board.
It is our hope that IPAN’s Library of Legislation, Regulation and Guidance will show some of what’s possible at the policy level and inspire you in your own policy work.