Practice Materials
CWAC Memorandum on Less Restrictive Means Defense to Termination of Parental Rights
This memo was developed by the Child Welfare Appellate Clinic (CWAC) at the University of Michigan Law School to provide guidance to trial and appellate counsel in TPR proceedings on when and how to advance the argument against the unlawful termination of parental rights where termination is not the least restrictive means of advancing the child’s welfare.
Briefs & Amicus Briefs
In re Bates: Brief of Amici Curiae in Support of Appellant-Mother
Brief of Amici Curiae by Juvenile Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, Children's Rights, Detroit Justice Center, and National Center for Youth Law in Support of Appellant-Mother for Supreme Court of Michigan In re Bates case heard in 2024.
Legislative Memoranda & Materials
Minnesota Permanency Preference Modification Policy Memo
This policy memo provides a brief background on Minnesota's TPR statute, provides recommendations to modify the current statute, and discusses the consequences of failing to preserve family connections and relationships as a result of TPR.
Institute to Transform Child Protection 2022 Legislative Agenda: Minnesota Statute 260C.513
This is a 1-page overview of MN's Statute 260C.513, which governs permanency dispositions in child protection cases.
Federal Policies & Memorandums
Children's Bureau Information Memorandum: Achieving Permanency for the Well-being of Children and Youth
This memo outlines typical patterns in exit outcomes for children and youth in foster care. It also reviews the permanency goals of reunification, adoption, and guardianship and emphasizes the importance of state and tribal child welfare agencies and courts focusing on each child’s unique needs, attachments, and connections when making permanency decisions.
Children's Bureau Information Memorandum: Reshaping Child Welfare in the United States to Focus on Strengthening Families Through Primary Prevention of Child Maltreatment and Unnecessary Parent-Child Separation
This memo urges the use of integrated primary prevention networks and approaches to strengthen families and prevent maltreatment and the unnecessary removal of children from their families.
Children's Bureau Information Memorandum: Civil Legal Advocacy to Promote Child and Family Well-being, Address the Social Determinants of Health, and Enhance Community Resilience
This memo highlights the importance of civil legal advocacy in advancing child and family well-being, addressing the social determinants of health, and