JOIN US FOR OUR FIRST BENEFIT Print E-mail
On September 20, 2009, at Hotel Allegro from 4-6:30 the Family Defense Center will host its first benefit. Co-chaired by Hon. Patricia Brown Holmes [Ret.] and Dr. Eugene Pergament with Laura Washington serving as our Mistress of Ceremonies, the highlight of the event will be our honoring Professor Dorothy Roberts,  Kirkland and Ellis Professor of Law at Northwestern Law School and hearing her speak on "Why Child Welfare is a Civil Rights Issue."  Professor Roberts is one of the nation's leading scholars and activists who focuses on the harm to children and families due to racial, class, and gender biases in law and policy.  The award- winning author of Killing the Black Body and Shattered Bonds, the Color of Child Welfare,  we are especially proud of Prof. Roberts' steadfast support for the Family Defense Center as an National Advisory Board Member and as our own academic advisory to our new Mother's Defense Project.  Cocktails, gourmet hors d'oevres and light desserts will be served.  CLICK HERE FOR TICKET, TRIBUTE AND SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION.
 
About Us: Our Mission and Goals Print E-mail

 

The Family Defense Center's mission is to advocate justice for families in the child welfare system. We advocate for families who need our help the most: families threatened with losing their children to foster care. Nothing is more painful for a child than to be taken from the only parents he or she knows. Yet, child protection systems throughout America frequently remove children from parents as a first resort, not a last resort. Many parents lose custody of their children to state foster care systems primarily because they are poor or because they are victims of abuse themselves. Far too many children in foster care bounce from home to home and are separated from siblings. Any family can be the victim of a false, harrassing, or misguided Hotline call.

Throughout America, families at risk of separation lack legal resources to mount adequate defenses against abuse or neglect charges even when they are innocent.

The Family Defense Center is the first of its kind: a legal advocacy organization that provides high level systemic advocacy and grass-roots activities for families treated unfairly by state child protection agencies. The Family Defense Center defends children who can be safely raised in their own families and helps families preserve their right to raise their own children. The Family Defense Center is a member-supported organization, deriving most of its funding from individual contributions. Please consider making a contribution today to help protect chldren by defending families.

2007-2009 Goals Include:

  • Make the FDC a strong and viable organization recognized as a resource for families and professionals alike.
  • Develop and carry out education training and support programs for family members and professionals (lawyers, social workers, etc.).
  • Advocate justice for families by focusing on due process for families under investigation, by enforcing the constitutional rights of child care workers and families established in Dupuy v. Samuels, and in part by representing children and families in DCFS investigations and appeals.
  • Expanding parent empowerment and policy advocacy.

 

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The Family Defense Center
725 S. Wells St., Suite 702
Chicago, IL 60607

Phone: 312-356-3202
Fax:312-356-3203

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Save the Date:

September 20, 2009: FDC Benefit Special Event honoring Prof. Dorothy Roberts.  Click here to become a sponsor, give a tribute, donate an auction item or purchase tickets. 



 

 

Click here to read about our new federal civil rights lawsuit, filed October 1, 2008!
 

Issue #7 of The Family Defender is now available. Click Here to read the online version.

 

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