Alliance For Children's Rights
The Alliance for Children’s Rights advocates for thousands of clients each year—including abused, neglected, and vulnerable children and teens in the foster care system, runaway and emancipating youth, children who need guardians, and the families who step up to care for them.
Protecting the Rights of Young People
Clearing barriers to stability and opportunity, we advocate for children, young adults, and families impacted by foster care, so that they can access the support and services they need to thrive.
Our Achievements:
Since 1992, we have served more than 150,000 children.
Since the inception of our adoption program over twenty years ago, nearly 17,000 adoptions from foster care have been finalized.
To date, more than 9,700 school-age children have received educational services to overcome trauma, instability, disability, and developmental delays.
The Alliance has written and sponsored bills that have changed foster care for the better in California, including AB12, extending foster care to age 21.
For ten consecutive years, the Alliance has received Charity Navigator’s highest four-star rating, a distinction granted to just 2% of charities.
We have to change policy if we want to change the world for children
To more effectively achieve our mission of stability, equity, and justice for all young people across the state, the Alliance identifies systemic issues and barriers that impact our clients, and advocates for broad solutions and improvements through ground-breaking child welfare policy reform.
A bold leader in the field, the Alliance has sponsored and co-sponsored bills that have positively impacted foster care throughout California, including:
AB 12, extending foster care to age 21,
AB 260, ensuring that probate courts and dependency courts work together in concert and protect the due process interests of parents and children and support information sharing to help inform decision making, and
SB 354, removing barriers and creating more opportunities in the foster care system for children to be housed with relative and non-relative extended family member caregivers regardless of a prior criminal conviction, provided that the conviction does not endanger the child.
Whole Families / Whole Communities
During the summer of 2020, amidst the nationwide uprising against police brutality and systemic racism, the Alliance for Children’s Rights launched an initiative focused on addressing the racial inequities in child welfare.
In the time since, the Alliance has collaborated with advocates, court officers, child welfare agency staff members, service providers, and people directly impacted by the system to develop and refine recommendations for building an equitable, just, and family-centered system.
Adoptions from foster care with help from the Alliance
In collaboration with pro bono partners, the Alliance for Children’s Rights helps eliminate barriers and provides free legal services for families adopting children from the foster care system by working closely with the Los Angeles Children’s Court and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
The Alliance for Children’s Rights is also the only agency in Los Angeles that finalizes non-minor dependent adoptions.
Guiding caregivers and legal guardians
More than 300,000 children in Los Angeles live with a relative or non-relative caregiver because their parents are unable or unwilling to care for them.
Without a legal relationship, caregivers who are willing to parent these children are limited in their ability to protect and provide for them. By obtaining legal guardianship for these caregivers, the Alliance is able to guide families to a more stable future.
Making sure families receive the support they need for the children in their care
By helping caregivers in foster care, guardianship, and adoption secure public funding, the Alliance ensures that families are better equipped to open their homes and hearts to children in need of stability and safety.
Our team also focuses on helping families receive additional funding to support children who require increased care due to medical, behavioral, and/or developmental needs.
Championing the educational rights of our clients
The Alliance’s Education Program takes a holistic and collaborative approach with schools in defining and addressing the needs of our clients. We provide direct education advocacy for youth, and empower caregivers and other service providers to advocate for the children they serve.
Together, we work to promote paths to learning and ensure that children and young adults impacted by foster care can access an equitable education.
Fostering health for children and teens in foster care
Too often, caregivers encounter obstacles in obtaining medical and mental health services for children in foster care, and young adults transitioning from foster care to independence experience problems with continuous medical coverage.
The Alliance assists clients with accessing medical services. We also conduct trainings throughout Los Angeles County for medical providers, the courts and public and private agencies about foster care and related healthcare and legal issues.
Providing a bridge for young adults as they strive for success and independence
Young people exiting the foster care or juvenile justice systems in Los Angeles often face challenges in education, employment, and overall well-being.
Our team works to remove these barriers to independence and to empower young adults to advocate for themselves.
A co-sponsor of California’s Fostering Connection to Success Act (AB12) — which extends foster care benefits and housing for an additional 3 years (to age 21) — the Alliance works to change systems to provide critical support to young adults who are “aging out” of foster care.
Connecting you and your baby to the resources you need
If you are currently or were formerly in the foster care system, and are expectant or parenting, the Alliance’s Healthy Teen Families program is here for you.
There are many resources out there to support you—from financial benefits, to baby essentials, childcare, and your own education and employment goals.
Remaining in or re-entering foster care until 21
All foster youth and some probation youth in California have the option to remain in care until they are 21 years old, according to a law called AB12—co-sponsored by the Alliance.
Young adults often need help and support while they get on their feet. Find out whether extended foster care can help you. You may be eligible for housing, job training, free transportation vouchers, other supports that can help you transition into independence.
Extended foster care isn’t the same as regular foster care. There are ways that you can live on your own, with a roommate, or with a relative and still qualify for these benefits. So make sure you know your options before you go!
Every story is different, but each child we help is healing from hardship.
With pro bono partners, the Alliance provides legal representation, supportive services, and policy solutions to help children and young adults access the nurturing conditions they deserve and need to thrive.
When solidarity counts
Moments of crisis have a way of calling attention to the inequities children, young adults, and families in the child welfare system confront in order to access the critical supports they need. Our clients are reaching out to the Alliance for help during this crisis—knowing that we will be here to advocate for them, as we always have.
Help us reach more lives:
Contact Alliance for Children’s Rights:
Los Angeles Office:
4525 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 150
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Phone: 213.368.6010
Fax: 213.908.1980
Alliance for Children’s Rights is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. EIN number 95-4358213.
