The child welfare system (family regulation system in America is broken.  Diane Redleaf is working in many different ways and on specific issues to fix that.

A tireless child and family advocate for decades, Diane leads work on policy and practice changes.  

Diane has worked for many years at the forefront of efforts to change the system. Because it is a system that hurts far more than it helps, advocates for sweeping change now call it the family regulation system.

Currently, Diane prioritizes her work to focus on alternatives to family regulation system involvement, including (a) ending/limiting the use of hidden foster care; (b) limiting the impact of child abuse registers; (c) creating fair investigation processes, including balanced medical opinions; (d) narrowing and/or eliminating neglect laws; and (e) creating alternative supports for families so that they can meet their children’s needs without family regulation system intervention.

Diane serves as an expert witness and consultant to lawyers litigating both system change/civil rights cases and individual cases in which her unique expertise on child protection policies and practices provides essential information. In addition, Diane is developing a mediation and collaborative law practice that builds on her extensive experience representing all parties to family disputes from all walks of life and communities.

Some of Diane’s articles, research, and training on these topics will be posted on this web page. To see more information about the projects Diane works on, see www.letgrow.org, www.unitedfamilyadvocates.org, National Alliance for Parent Representation, and www.famjustice.org.