In “The F.I.R.S.T. Legal Clinic: A New Frontier of Partnerships to Stop Trauma,” published by the American Bar Association, Adam Ballout and Melinda Drewing describe how the clinic was created to keep families safely together by preventing the unnecessary removal of newborns from mothers engaged in treatment for substance use.
In the United States, more than 250,000 children enter foster care each year—many due to neglect or parental substance use. Nearly half are never returned to their parents. Although Child Protective Services is mandated to prevent removals, inconsistent procedures and limited early intervention often lead to unnecessary separations and lasting trauma for families.
The FIRST Legal Clinic was created to change that. By offering early legal representation and connecting parents with housing, treatment, and peer support before court involvement, the clinic helps prevent infants from being removed from their mothers’ care.
Within minutes of a referral, parents are connected with an attorney, a parent ally with lived experience, and a resource navigator to help stabilize their situation. Through partnerships with hospitals, treatment providers, and the Department of Children, Youth and Families, the clinic intervenes early—often before a crisis becomes a removal.
The results speak for themselves. Since its founding in 2019:
- 89% of families served by the clinic have avoided child removal.
- Snohomish County, where the clinic operates, saw a 37% drop in infant removals—double the state average.
- The Washington State Legislature has provided funding to expand the program, supported by Casey Family Programs for data and evaluation.
By combining legal, medical, and peer advocacy, the FIRST Legal Clinic is helping to reshape child welfare in Washington—proving that early, compassionate intervention can keep families safely together and prevent the trauma of separation.
As Ballout writes, “The future of child welfare is in the thoughtful integration of these puzzle pieces—law, medicine, social work, and lived experience—to create lasting community supports that truly help families.”