Results of Evaluation of Child Welfare Law Specialist Certification Program

Independent Study Shows Child Welfare Law Certification Improves Legal Representation

Research demonstrates Child Welfare Law Specialists provide higher quality legal representation and see more career growth than non-certified attorneys.

The Participatory Action Research Collective released the results of a year-long evaluation which demonstrates that certified Child Welfare Law Specialists outperform other attorneys in providing quality legal representation to children, parents, or child welfare agencies.

For two decades, NACC has certified attorneys who pass a rigorous exam and meet other professional requirements as Child Welfare Law Specialists. NACC created the program in 2006 with a grant from the federal government. The U.S. Children’s Bureau, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and the Conference of Chief Justices/Conference of State Court Administrators all endorse the certification program.

The study, designed in collaboration with people with lived experience in the child welfare system, examined the work of more than 300 child welfare professionals in its quantitative and qualitative analyses. It found Child Welfare Law Specialists score higher than non-certified attorneys on a majority of the nearly two-dozen indicators of quality legal work.

The lead researcher and NACC staff discussed the results in the webinar “Child Welfare Law Specialist Certification at 20: Proof, Impact, Next” in March 2026. Watch the recording.