2013-09-192013-09-192006http://hdl.handle.net/11212/977http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID876975_code436781.pdf?abstractid=876975&mirid=1This article scrutinizes the heavy hand of petitioning child welfare agencies in child protective cases, underscoring the absence of the constitutionally and statutorily protected right to counsel at certain stages of the proceedings. Professor Hughes surveys national trends, reviews historical reasoning and offers suggestions in order to revisit basic protections for indigent parents who face the loss of a child.Child welfareParentText