The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) has worked for more than four decades to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and youth. NCYL leads campaigns, weaving together research, public awareness, policy development, technical assistance and litigation to ensure governmental systems provide the support these children and youth need to thrive.
Headquartered in Oakland, California, NCYL leads high impact campaigns that weave together litigation, research, public awareness, policy development, and technical assistance. The Center’s goal is not to reform one particular system, but to transform the multiple public systems serving vulnerable children – including education, child welfare, public health, behavioral health, juvenile justice, and workforce development – such that they receive the supports they need to advance and thrive.
We take on complex social challenges by weaving together multiple strategies, including:
- Partnering directly with public agencies (e.g. Child Welfare, Juvenile Courts) to help them rethink and redesign services for youth.
- Sponsoring and advocating for legislation.
- Working with the media to expose agencies that are failing kids in their care.
- Initiating impact litigation to accelerate reform of public agencies.
- Setting up demonstration sites to test new models of providing services to vulnerable youth.