East Bay Family Defenders (EBFD) is a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary family defense practice. Our mission is to keep families together and minimize the time children spend in foster care. We represent all parents, and some children, in cases filed by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Alameda County Juvenile Dependency Court. We opened our doors to 1,200 clients on September 1, 2018. Our trauma-informed model provides legal defense, social work support, and peer mentorship to parents so that they can address their families’ needs with real solutions and successfully exit the child welfare system. We value diverse experience that equips staff for delivering the highest quality representation to our clients. We promote community-based preventive resources and restorative solutions that meaningfully strengthen families. We partner with a robust network of community-based providers and allied advocates, drawing upon their expertise to deliver meaningful and transformative support to our mutual clients.
