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Legal Services for Children: 50 Years of Youth Advocacy
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A teal-tinted image of a young person with long hair sitting on the floor in a dark hallway with their head and arms on their knees

Bay Area Children Need Your Support.

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What Makes Legal Services for Children Different

Learn how LSC defends the rights of children and youth in crisis and empowers them to make decisions about their lives, setting them on a path to stability and healing.

What We Do

Program Areas

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Safety & Stability at Home

We secure safe and stable homes for young people who cannot live with their parents by representing them in the guardianship process to get a loving adult to care for them and by advocating for the rights and needs of young people in the San Francisco foster care system.
A preteen girl with a slightly sad expression and a middle-aged man embracing in a sunlit outdoor area

Freedom From Deportation

LSC defends the rights of undocumented immigrant children and young people, including youth under age 18 who entered the U.S. alone and are in immigration detention without their families as well as SF Bay Area young people at risk of deportation.
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Access to Education

LSC protects young people’s access to education by advocating for their rights when they are facing potential expulsion or suspension from school, keeping them on the path to graduation and preserving their place in their peer communities.

Need help? Call our Warmline.

Warmline Hours

Mon & Thu
1:30 to 4:30 pm

Warmline Number

(415) 780-6366

Linea en Español

(415) 780-6367

Contact LSC
Photo of LSC's 2026 Certificate in Child Advocacy awardees holding their certificates with our Executive Director in front of an LSC banner. From left: LSC Executive Director Cathy Sakimura, awardee Kristen Sibbald, awardee Frida Garcia Morales, and awardee Alana Gans
Congratulations to our awardees!

LSC’s 2026 Certificates in Child Advocacy Awarded

At LSC’s 2026 annual event Champions for Children on June 4, 2026, we were delighted to recognize our 2026 Certificate in Child Advocacy awardees alongside our outstanding pro bono attorney honorees. The Certificate in Child Advocacy recognizes exceptional law students who have chosen to specialize in representing children and youth, and who have completed internships at LSC and other organizations. Congratulations to this year’s awardees!

 

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Take Action

Find Resources  

Youth-serving professionals: access resources to support your work with youth in our Resource Library. Youth and families: find answers to your questions and resources that can help you in our FAQ.

Join Us  

Learn about how LSC can support you to volunteer as a youth-serving attorney through our Pro Bono Program, and find information about internship and job opportunities at LSC.

Donate  

San Francisco Bay Area youth need your support more than ever. Become a monthly supporter, or make a one-time donation to help meet young people’s need for legal and social work services.
A group of teenagers standing in a line with their arms wrapped around each other in a sunlit park