Children's Advocacy Institute

Support Children's Advocacy Institute (CIA)

The Children’s Advocacy Institute (CAI) at USD Law is dedicated to improving the status and well-being of children and youth. With offices in San Diego, Sacramento, and Washington, D.C., CAI is the only child advocacy organization operating simultaneously at a law school, in a state capital, and in the nation’s capital—a distinction that fills USD Law with pride and reflects the school’s commitment to social justice.

CAI offers a unique academic and clinical program that trains students to become passionate, effective champions for children. Through this program, law students, skilled attorneys, and experienced advocates work together to conduct research, provide public education on child-related issues, and engage in direct advocacy before courts, agencies, and legislatures to advance the rights of children and youth. Students gain hands-on experience representing children in juvenile court and contribute to shaping critical pro-child policies at the state and federal levels.

In fact, over the past 37 years, CAI has taught more than 1,100 law students, inspiring generations of USD graduates to make a real difference in the lives of children and families.

In 2025, CAI co-sponsored several successful California bills addressing issues such as accountability for artificial intelligence harms, stability for youth in extended foster care, and prioritizing family placement for foster children, while also supporting additional laws aimed at protecting young people online and expanding resources for foster youth.

Nationally, CAI continues to spearhead a major campaign to protect foster youth’s federal benefits, working with policymakers in more than two dozen states and collaborating with federal officials to end the practice of states intercepting Social Security benefits intended for children in foster care.

Your gift ensures that the Children’s Advocacy Institute can continue training future child advocates, fighting for policy change, and protecting vulnerable children nationwide.