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As a nonprofit organization, The Family Systems Collaborative is committed to making high-quality child advocacy support accessible. To sustain consistent, trauma-informed services, we use a modest partnership fee for participating attorneys and agencies. This fee helps cover direct service time while keeping costs low. Donor support and grant funding allow us to keep these fees minimal and ensure no child is ever denied support due to financial barriers.
Most partners pay between $150–$350 per month, depending on caseload and support level. This helps ensure sustainability while keeping child-focused advocacy within reach for every attorney.
Families receive services free of charge.
Why nonprofits charge fees
Many nonprofits—especially in healthcare, mental health, education, legal aid, and social services—use a “program service fee” model.
Examples include:
YMCA charging for swim lessons
Nonprofit clinics charging sliding-scale co-pays
Legal aid groups charging reduced fees for certain services
University child advocacy centers charging courts or counties
These fees are considered mission-based revenue, not profit.
The IRS allows nonprofits to:
Charge fees
Generate revenue
Pay staff
Earn more than they spend as long as funds stay in the nonprofit and support the mission
What nonprofits cannot do
Distribute profits to owners/shareholders (no one “owns” a nonprofit)
Charge fees unrelated to the mission
Your partnership fee directly supports child advocacy and case services, so it is fully compliant.
We partner with:
Family law attorneys
Domestic relations Guardian ad Litem
Child and Family Investigators (CFIs)
Mediators
Parents navigating custody or parenting-time disputes
Any legal team seeking trauma-informed, child-centered support.
Children and families do not need to be in child welfare to receive help.
When you work with The Family Systems Collaborative a Legally Educated Social Worker (LESW) will be assigned to your case. You can expect:
Expert Social Work Support: LESWs bring trauma-informed knowledge and social work skills tailored to support your advocacy for children.
Collaborative Partnership: LESWs work closely with you, sharing insights, case information, and strategies to strengthen your representation.
Holistic Perspective: They provide guidance on the child’s emotional, mental health, family dynamics, and community resources to ensure well-rounded advocacy.
Case-Specific Consultation: Whether you need help understanding complex family situations or assistance with reports, LESWs offer practical, case-focused advice.
Direct Client Engagement: LESWs will meet with the child or family members, offering additional context and support that benefits your case.
Reliable Communication: Expect consistent, timely communication to keep you informed and supported throughout the case.
While both aim to support child-centered legal advocacy, there are key differences in structure, scope, and approach. FSC's social workers are Legally Educated Social Workers — or LESWs.
LESW
Independent & Nonprofit: LESWs work independently or through nonprofit organizations like The Family Systems Collaborative, offering customized, flexible support tailored to each legal team’s needs.
Trauma-Informed & Relationship-Based: Emphasis on deep, sustained collaboration with legal professionals, families, and children—often including direct engagement with clients.
Holistic Advocacy: Combines clinical social work training with legal system expertise, offering insight on trauma, family systems, mental health, education, and permanency planning.
Consistency & Continuity: Legal professionals can choose to work with the same LESW across cases, fostering long-term partnership and shared strategy.
Other Case Consultants
State-Assigned: Provided exclusively to GALs through the Office of the Child's Representative, and assigned based on availability rather than ongoing relationship
Case-Specific: Engagement is often task-oriented and structured around OCR's internal protocols.
System-Driven: Operates within the structure and requirements of a state agency, which may limit flexibility and scope.
LESWs with FSC can provide:
Case Consultation & Advocacy
Child-Centered Assessments
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Training & Professional Development
Systems Change & Leadership
CASA volunteers serve as court-appointed advocates for children who are parties to a dependency and neglect (child welfare) case.
FSC is different in several key ways:
We work across multiple types of legal cases—including family law, custody, divorce, and other matters where a child is affected, even if they are not a party to the case.
We are not volunteers—services are provided by a legally educated, master’s-level social worker with clinical and systems expertise.
We support attorneys and families directly, offering case consultation, child-development insight, trauma-informed recommendations, and collaborative planning.
We are not appointed by the court, so we can engage earlier, more flexibly, and with more continuity.
FSC complements—but does not duplicate—what CASA provides.
An LESW is a Legally Educated Social Worker—a social worker with specialized training and experience in the legal systems, particularly in family law, custody, and related proceedings affecting children.
LESWs work alongside Legal Professionals to strengthen legal advocacy with trauma-informed, child-centered social work insight. Their role bridges the gap between social work and law, ensuring that every child’s voice is heard and their best interests are advocated for in legal proceedings.
No. FSC does not provide legal representation.
We provide social work expertise that strengthens how legal professionals understand and advocate for the children involved or impacted by a case.