Removing the Adversarial Position of Family

Yesterday Juvenile Law Center partnered with Temple Law Review for its Annual Symposium. This year, in celebration of 50 years of Juvenile Law Center, the theme was “Youth Justice in a New Era: Reflections on State Constitutional Litigation, Abolition, and Movement Lawyering."

This blog reflects on the role of movement lawyering in pursuit of family preservation. April Lee of Philly Voice for Change participated on the movement lawyering and abolition panel discussion.

There is a hidden issue we often fail to address—one that causes deep and lasting trauma to children. In dependency cases, the child welfare system places families in adversarial roles, pitting them against each other rather than supporting them as a unified whole. Despite constitutional recognition of the family as a fundamental unit, our system—and even our language—treats children, youth, and parents as separate entities. This separation not only undermines the family structure but also perpetuates harm, especially to the children we aim to protect.

Children’s rights and parental rights are not in conflict—they are deeply intertwined. You cannot advocate for one without acknowledging the other. Families are nuanced; there is no one-size-fits-all solution to their challenges or their strengths. By embracing movement lawyering and building genuine relationships within the community, we can shift the focus from punitive responses to proactive support. When we support families as a whole, we create the stable, nurturing environments children need to truly thrive.

At Philly Voice for Change, we aim to remove adversarial positions and support families as a whole. This work would not be possible without the movement lawyers who stand alongside us. Lawyers like Sarah Katz, who has made it her mission to serve the community in a different way—as an attorney in solidarity with the movements that impacted communities believe in. And lawyers like Yalonda Houston, Philly Voice’s co-founder, who has dedicated her time, experience, and even personal resources to stand by families as a whole.

Movement lawyering can take many forms—from community education to class action lawsuits—but what it will never do is place families in adversarial positions.