Àlex Pérez

Oct 16, 2024 | imprintnews.org | Alex Perez |Àlex Pérez

Parents accused of harming their children have a right to a court-appointed attorney in Minnesota and most of the country. But legal help is only guaranteed once allegations of abuse or neglect land in court through a formal petition submitted to a judge. Now, a new program in the state’s largest county offers parents counsel well before this stage, when child welfare workers are still deciding whether drug use, domestic violence or mental illness threatens a child’s health and safety.