MODELS OF ADVOCACY IN DEPENDENCY CASES: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE

Through normative considerations of how we ought to advocate for and represent children in dependency court, I will argue that we should use a multidisciplinary approach as opposed to a best interests or child’s wishes approach. Best interests believes that a child’s advocacy should be based upon what is in their best interests, regardless of what the child wants. Child’s wishes holds that a child’s advocacy should be centered around the child’s desired case outcome. In both models, advocates can be lay people or attorneys. In a multidisciplinary model, attorneys are appointed to the child to provide legal representation in conjunction with a lay advocate. Advocates should inform the court of the child’s wishes but ultimately advocate for their best interests regardless of the child’s wants.