Between Fiscal Years 2023-24 and 2024-25, the overall number of reported multidisciplinary legal representation (MLR) cases increased, as did the number of cases in each RC. The number of total dependency cases served by MLR programs increased from 573 in Fiscal Year 2023-24 to 779 in Fiscal Year 2024-25.
OPPAGA received case-level data from four of the five RCs for cases served by MLR programs from July 2021 to June 2025, and determined that children in out-of-home care whose parents were served by MLR programs have higher percentages of domestic violence as the reason for entry into care but are similar to children whose parents were not served by MLR programs for other maltreatment types.
OPPAGA found that relative to a comparison group, children whose parents participated in MLR programs had higher rates of family reunification (79% compared to 61%) and lower rates of adoption (7% compared to 21%) as a permanency type.
Dependency cases of children with parents in MLR programs tended to take longer to achieve permanency, with family reunification taking an average of 64 days longer for parents in MLR programs relative to family reunifications in the comparison group.
Children whose parents were served by MLR programs were somewhat less likely to experience subsequent child welfare investigations resulting in the removal of a child from their home.

Multidisciplinary Legal Representation of Parents in Dependency Proceedings: Fiscal Year 2023-24
Report 24-09 November 2024
A Review of Multidisciplinary Legal Representation for Parents in Dependency Proceedings: Fiscal Year 2022-23
Report 23-11 November 2023
Review of Multidisciplinary Legal Representation of Parents in Dependency Proceedings
Report 22-07 December 2022

Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.