How the FPP Works

The Family Preservation Project (FPP) teams advocate directly with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF), appeal adverse DCF decisions, connect the family to community resources, and access additional legal services from within their own legal services agencies.

The FPP team accesses additional legal representation for families that can address issues of concern to the family and DCF. Examples of these types of representation include:

 

  • Family law: for domestic violence protection, divorce, and custody matters

  • Education: to obtain individualized plans and to address school discipline issues

  • Housing: to prevent eviction and homelessness

  • Benefits: to access food, cash assistance, social security, and unemployment supports

  • Other legal issues: to stabilize and support the family

Get Help

If you are a parent who needs help with DCF and you are not involved in a court case with DCF, the FPP may be able to help you.

The Organizations Involved in the FPP

Four regional legal aid programs offer FPP advocacy in their geographic service area.

Community Legal Aid (CLA), serving Hampden and Worcester Counties, provides holistic civil legal advocacy for low-income and elderly people across central and western Massachusetts. CLA specializes in assisting tenants threatened with eviction or the loss of a rent subsidy; homeless families trying to access shelter; individuals and families trying to access public benefits programs and unemployment compensation; domestic violence survivors in family law matters; students in need of services to help them thrive in school; elders facing threats to their autonomy, independence, or safety; and persons seeking help with a civil legal problem connected to the fact that they are a victim of a crime and folks with criminal records in their CORI sealing and expungement cases and criminal record-related denials of housing, employment, and educational/job training programs. Although CLA’s FPP serves only Hampden and Worcester Counties, CLA generally serves Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester Counties.

Northeast Legal Aid (NLA), serving Essex and Northern Middlesex Counties, helps low-income and elderly people of northeastern Massachusetts obtain justice and empowerment through skillful, creative, and persistent advocacy for systemic change and high-quality representation of individuals. NLA believes it has a profound responsibility to seek out and serve low-income populations who are especially marginalized, vulnerable, or isolated, including the homeless, mentally ill, survivors of domestic violence, frail elders, children, immigrants, refugees, those with criminal records, and those facing racial injustice or discrimination. NLA offers a full range of legal services extending from brief advice to full representation in complex litigation. All of NLA’s legal services are free.

Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), serving Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, provides multidisciplinary legal services to low-income individuals across various legal needs such as domestic violence, disability rights, wage and employment, housing, and child custody. Serving over 30 communities in Greater Boston, GBLS leverages multi-disciplinary legal aid services to ensure access to basic needs. In addition, thousands of other poor families and individuals benefit from the systemic advocacy GBLS carries out on behalf of its clients.

South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS), serving Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket and Plymouth Counties and the towns of Avon and Stoughton, provides free legal help in priority civil matters to low income families. Advocates provide quality legal assistance to eligible clients in high priority civil cases, while offering educational programming to the community and participating in state wide access to justice efforts through service on task forces organized around substantive and service delivery issues.

MetroWest Legal Services provides legal advocacy to protect and advance the rights of people living with lower income or disabilities, or those who are over the age of 60. We assist those in our service in obtaining legal, social and economic justice. We help our clients secure access to basic needs and challenge institutional barriers in order to achieve equal justice for all.”

The statewide FPP enjoys financial and other support from Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) and is coordinated and supported by the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) with the assistance of the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts (CLCM).

Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) is the largest funding source for civil legal aid organizations in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth established MLAC in 1983 to ensure that people with low incomes facing critical non-criminal legal issues have access to legal information, advice, and representation. MLAC’s mission is to improve legal aid in Massachusetts through collaboration with the legal services community, the public, the bar, and the legislature.

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is a legal aid organization that promotes statewide advocacy through policy and practice reform and promoting racial and economic justice. MLRI has participated in, or led directly, statewide coalitions for advancing child welfare law reform, while providing technical assistance, continuing education, and coalition-building capacity for legal aid organizations, community-based human service providers, and systems-level organizations investing in legal remedies and approaches to eradicating poverty.

Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts (CLCM) is a private non-profit legal advocacy and resource center with a mission of promoting and securing equal justice and maximizing opportunity for low-income children and youth. CLCM elevates the voices of children and youth clients by providing them high quality, holistic legal advocacy on matters that implicate their safety, liberty, education, and access to the courts and by offering technical assistance and training on youth-related systems and law to the community.

The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) is the Massachusetts public defender agency, dedicated to protecting the legal and constitutional rights of individuals who cannot afford to hire an attorney. We provide representation in all matters where the law guarantees the right to counsel, including criminal defense, juvenile delinquency, child welfare, mental health, and related appeals.

CPCS delivers high-quality, client-centered advocacy through a statewide network of staff attorneys and private bar advocates. Beyond direct representation, we work to improve the justice system through policy reform, legislative advocacy, cutting-edge training, and collaboration with community partners. Our mission is to promote justice, equity, and dignity for all people, especially those impacted by poverty, racism, and systemic injustice.