DEKALB COUNTY: Court monitor for kids removed

DeKalb County has significantly improved the legal representation provided to children in foster care, prompting a federal judge to end court oversight of the system.

DeKalb had agreed to the oversight as part of a 2005 court settlement with Children’s Rights Inc., a New York-based nonprofit that sued the county to reform the legal representation for foster children.

The county’s Child Advocacy Center has reduced the number of clients assigned to each of its attorneys from a high of 500 in 2002 to fewer than 100 now, more in line with national standards, according to a statement from Children’s Rights.

These attorneys represent children in court hearings that determine whether a child should be removed from a home following abuse and neglect, and whether a child should be placed back with his or her parents.

“Just a few years ago in DeKalb County, children rarely even met the lawyers assigned to them, let alone received adequate legal representation,” said Ira Lustbader, associate director of Children’s Rights. Today, he said, the children have “informed, engaged attorneys with all the tools necessary to advocate forcefully for their interests.”

Senior U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob signed the order to terminate court monitoring Tuesday, and attorneys made it public Wednesday.