Parent Defense
Keeping Families Together through
Holistic, Relationship-Centered Advocacy
At Elephant Circle, we provide holistic legal advocacy to parents involved in the family policing system, also commonly referred to as the child welfare system or Child Protective Services (CPS).
The family policing system investigates allegations of child abuse or neglect, monitors families, imposes safety plans or services, and, in some cases, removes children from their parents’ care or seek to permanently terminate the legal relationship between parents and children.
Although the stated purpose of this system is to protect children, families are often investigated or separated while navigating poverty, housing instability, disability, substance use, domestic violence, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, limited access to healthcare, or other structural barriers. Biases about parenting, family structure, race, disability, poverty, substance use, and what constitutes abuse or neglect can shape how families are perceived and treated.
We believe families need support, resources, and meaningful legal advocacy—not punishment, surveillance, and unnecessary separation.
Our Philosophy
Parent defense is about protecting the fundamental right to parent and keeping families together when oppressive systems and biased understandings of abuse and neglect threaten to pull them apart.
We recognize that families are complex, resilient, and constantly evolving. People heal, grow, learn, and change. Parents should not be permanently defined by a moment of crisis, a period of instability, or the circumstances that first brought their family into contact with CPS.
Our work challenges unnecessary government intrusion into family life, confronts systemic inequities, and advocates for families to receive meaningful support rather than separation.
Children deserve safety and stability, but they also deserve enduring connections to their families, identities, histories, cultures, and communities. We advocate for family preservation and permanency options that protect children without unnecessarily extinguishing lifelong family relationships.
Our approach means that we strive to:
Build relationships grounded in trust, dignity, respect, and accountability.
Meet clients where they are and recognize their strengths, knowledge, and lived experience.
Explain complex legal processes in clear and accessible language.
Support informed decision-making and client autonomy.
Center each parent’s goals while providing honest advice about risks, options, and possible outcomes.
Challenge biases and systemic inequities that influence how families are treated.
Recognize the impact of poverty, racism, disability, substance use, domestic violence, pregnancy, and other circumstances on family policing involvement.
Advocate for family preservation, reunification, and enduring family relationships.
Provide support that extends beyond individual court appearances.
A Midwifery Model of Parent Defense
Our Parent Defense practice is grounded in Elephant Circle’s midwifery model of care.
Just as midwives provide continuity, education, advocacy, and relationship-based support throughout the perinatal period, we approach legal representation as a collaborative partnership rooted in trust, dignity, autonomy, and informed decision-making.
We walk alongside parents as they navigate a complex and often frightening system. We help clients understand what is happening, identify their legal options, assess risks, prepare for court and meetings, and make informed decisions that reflect their own goals and values.
We recognize that effective parent defense requires more than appearing in court. It requires consistency, trust, clear communication, and an understanding of the broader circumstances affecting each family.
Our holistic, interdisciplinary team includes:
Attorneys
Paralegal
Parent advocates
Social workers
Community justice doulas
Each member of the team contributes different skills, knowledge, and perspectives. Together, we provide coordinated advocacy that is legally rigorous, relational, trauma-informed, and responsive to the realities families face inside and outside the courtroom.
Community Based Support
Legal issues rarely exist in isolation. Families involved with CPS may also need healthcare, housing, treatment, transportation, emotional support, or assistance navigating pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Elephant Circle partners with local organizations and trusted community providers to help families access support. We maintain a referral network that includes doulas, midwives, perinatal care providers, mental health professionals, treatment centers, and other community-based resources.
Our community partnerships allow us to connect families with resources that are affirming, responsive, and aligned with their needs. We believe meaningful family preservation requires both strong legal advocacy and investment in the conditions families need to thrive.
Practice at a glance
Since launching our Parent Defense practice in 2025, Elephant Circle has:
Helped 12 families achieve case closure, with children returning home or safely remaining in their parents’ care.
Helped prevent at least one removal from a parent’s home through early legal advocacy.
Represented parents both before and after the filing of a dependency and neglect case.
Built an interdisciplinary practice that combines attorneys, parent advocates, community justice doulas, and paralegal support.
Connected families with trusted legal, perinatal, treatment, and community-based resources.
Who We Represent
We represent parents at multiple stages of involvement with CPS, including before a court case is filed and after a dependency and neglect court case begins.
We primarily represent parents in Arapahoe County, Colorado.
Court-Involved Parent Defense
When a dependency and neglect petition has been filed, Elephant Circle may be appointed by the court through the Colorado Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel to represent a parent in the court case.
Our attorneys provide client-directed legal representation throughout the dependency and neglect process. Depending on the case, representation may include:
Emergency temporary custody and shelter hearings
Adjudication
Disposition and treatment planning
Family time
Placement and kinship issues
Reunification
Permanency planning
Motions to terminate parental rights
Pre-Filing Legal Advocacy
If CPS is investigating your family in Colorado but has not yet filed a dependency and neglect petition in court, you may be eligible for free pre-filing legal advocacy.
Early legal representation in a CPS case may help you:
Understand the CPS investigation process.
Learn about your legal rights.
Prepare for interviews, meetings, and home visits.
Understand proposed safety plans or voluntary services.
Communicate with CPS.
Make informed decisions about signing documents or agreeing to services.
Connect with supportive community resources.
Advocate for your children to remain safely in your care.
Potentially avoid unnecessary removal or court involvement.
Pre-filing legal advocacy is accessed through the Colorado Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel, or ORPC.
To request pre-filing assistance, you must complete the ORPC Pre-Filing Legal Advocacy Form. If you would like Elephant Circle to represent you in the CPS investigation, please mention Elephant Circle on the form. ORPC will review the request and, when appropriate, connect the parent with an available legal provider.
orbit
library
Check out our Parent Defense orbit library.
Defense is protection.
CONTACT US
Elephant Circle provides limited direct legal representation, with Parent Defense making up the majority of our direct representation work. Please note that most of our Parent Defense work is currently limited to Arapahoe County, Colorado.
If you are currently involved in a CPS investigation, complete the ORPC Pre-Filing Legal Advocacy Form to request early legal assistance.
If a dependency and neglect court case has already been filed, the court appoints qualified respondent parents’ counsel (“RPCs”) through ORPC. You may also contact us with questions about our practice or available resources. Please reach out to our Director of Parent Defense, Vandana Apte, at vandana@elephantcircle.org.
Please note that we unfortunately cannot guarantee that we will be able to represent every person who contacts us. When direct representation is not available, we may still be able to provide information or connect families with legal and community-based resources