Christine Zielinski

Center for Family Representation

The Center for Family Representation (CFR) is a groundbreaking nonprofit organization that provides families in crisis with free legal representation and social work services to enable children from vulnerable families to live with their parents safely. We provide families with an innovative model of services: a team of an attorney, a social worker, and a parent advocate—a professional who has experienced the child welfare system firsthand and has reunified their family. CFR teams assist poor families where there is a risk of a child entering foster care. We reach parents early on, often during child protective investigations, to give families the assistance they need to avoid family court cases. If children must enter care, we represent parents in court and provide services following reunification to ensure that children do not re-enter foster care. CFR serves the majority of families appearing in Manhattan and Queens Family Courts for neglect and abuse proceedings. CFR also trains practitioners in the child welfare and court systems on best practices to support families and supports policy initiatives at the city, state and national level in order strengthen at-risk families.