The Kinship Custody Clinic provides support and legal assistance to grandparents, relatives, or caregivers who are responsible for the care of children when parents are unable or unwilling to provide adequate care.  The program helps caregivers ask the court for Nonparental Custody Orders, which gives caregivers legal rights to care for the children in their custody.  This means, if the court approves, the caregiver can do things like enroll children in school and access necessary medical treatment.

Attorneys do not represent caregivers in court, but help them understand the process, provide advice, provide support with documents and get them ready for court.

Here’s how the clinic works:

• Contact LAW Advocates to find out if you are eligible.
• After LAW Advocates completes a screening, they will provide you with paperwork.
• Before coming to the clinic, it’s important to finish all the paperwork. This makes things quicker and helps our team focus on getting ready for the court hearing.
• The clinic is in a group setting. The first part of the clinic is staff making sure paperwork is complete.
• There are general updates.
• The clinic proceeds into a 1:1 with an attorney or paralegal. 

What to bring:

1. Identification documents
2. Signed confidentiality paperwork.
3. A list of questions or concerns

Contact LAW Advocates with any questions.