Durham County is grappling with a significant challenge in family reunification.
Ninety percent of children in foster care in Durham County were removed from their families of origin due to the symptoms of poverty, such as housing instability, food instability, or access to regular medical care. With a reunification rate of only 22%, far below the national average, families are often permanently separated, with seven out of 10 children still in custody after 720 days. Notably, less than 3% of impacted families in the county are white, highlighting systemic racial inequities.
In 2022, Emancipate NC released a report on county-level reforms to the child welfare system based on dozens of interviews with stakeholders. In 2023, Emancipate NC staff members, Toia Potts and her attorney, Elizabeth Simpson, were profiled in a series in The Assembly, recounting the harrowing ordeal of how Durham County stripped Toia of her parental rights.
Following extensive community listening sessions with a diverse group, Emancipate NC is launching Carolina Parent Defenders to address the ongoing concerns and systemic issues. Carolina Parent Defenders’ impact will extend beyond individual cases, aiming to improve reunification rates in North Carolina and tackle systemic inequities disproportionately affecting Black, immigrant, and poor families. By filling a critical gap in legal support for vulnerable families, CPD offers a lifeline to parents who might otherwise permanently lose their children.
The program will begin offering parents free, holistic legal services in 2025.
