Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parental Representation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Indigent Defense Commission reports strong reunification outcomes from interdisciplinary parental‑representation pilot
Summary
The Indigent Defense Commission reported that interdisciplinary teams pairing social workers with defense attorneys have delivered higher reunification rates and reduced removals in pilot counties; the commission asked for continued support to expand the model.
Adam Troupe, Assistant Director of the Indigent Defense Commission, briefed the committee on the interdisciplinary parental representation (IPR) pilot that pairs social workers with public‑defender attorneys in child‑welfare cases.
Troupe said the model—funded initially by a $170,000 appropriation and later expanded through IDC grants—has led to higher reunification rates and better supports for parents navigating protective supervision and permanency hearings. The program reported more than 60% reunification statewide in cases assisted by IPR teams and higher positive outcomes compared with non‑IPR cases.
Troupe urged continued state support to expand the program’s coverage across counties and highlighted measurements the commission is tracking, including reunification and kinship placement rates. The committee received the briefing as informational and no action was required.
