MITCHELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW — After years of work, Mitchell Hamline’s Institute to Transform Child Protection was part of an event in October with Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan to celebrate several legislative wins for Minnesota families. The institute had worked specifically on two proposals that became law. The measures were part of a larger bill that funded Health and Human Services initiatives across the state. One mandates lawyers be appointed in child welfare cases for parents who can’t afford one. The other removes critical barriers that had been keeping family members from serving as foster parents in cases where courts removed children from their parents’ care. “These two measures are critical to keeping more families together,” said Joanna Woolman, executive director of the Institute to Transform Child Protection. “We’ve been working on the parent representation bill for more than 10 years and the foster care licensing bill for four years. More than 10 Mitchell Hamline students were involved in these efforts over the past decade.” Through a policy-focused clinic the institute offers, students work with Mitchell Hamline faculty and clinic leaders to help achieve the institute’s legislative priorities. Student work includes researching, drafting language for possible legislation, and even testifying before lawmakers.