“This policy is revised to allow the title IV-E agency to claim title IV-E administrative costs of independent legal representation by an attorney for a child who is a candidate for title IV-E foster care or in foster care and his/her parent to prepare for and participate in all stages of foster care legal proceedings, such as court hearings related to a child’s removal from the home.”

- Child Welfare Practice Manual, Q/A 8.1B, #30
“The words ‘independent legal representation’ make clear that, in claiming the matching funds, the agency cannot limit or compromise the independence of the attorney. And the words ‘all stages of foster care legal proceedings’ mean the agency cannot limit the time or scope of legal representation.
- Claiming Title IV-E Funds to Pay for Parents' and Children's Attorneys: A Brief Technical Overview (ABA Center on Children and the Law)
“[T]o access the federal funds, the judicial or executive branch entity that administers court-appointed counsel funding must work with the Title IV-E agency to design a protocol that transmits the information necessary for the claim to the Title IV-E agency while preserving the independence and integrity of the legal representation system.”
- New Federal Funding Source for Court-Appointed Counsel in Child Protection Cases (National Judicial Opioid Task Force)