A new division within the Mississippi attorney general’s office will feature a collaboration with two state departments working to meet the specific needs of families and children in difficult circumstances.
The new Children’s Justice Division will partner with the Mississippi Departments of Human Services and Child Protection Services to move children in foster care to permanent homes and to help secure past-due child support for families facing arrearages.
“MDCPS is proud to collaborate with the AGO’s Children’s Justice Division to further our agency’s mission to Protect Children and Strengthen Families,” MDCPS Commissioner Andrea Sanders said. “General (Lynn) Fitch and her team are valuable partners, and we will continue to work together to protect Mississippi’s children and help victims become children again.”
15 attorneys, three paralegals, and one investigator are currently assigned to the division, including division director Hadley Gable, an attorney who previously worked for MDHS. The division will work in state courts across Mississippi.
“As part of MDHS’ continuing mission to provide tangible help today to create lasting hope for tomorrow, we are committed to using every tool available to ensure children receive support from both parents,” said MDHS Executive Director Bob Anderson. “We look forward to working with Attorney General Fitch’s Children’s Justice Division and believe this renewed partnership will benefit the thousands of children we currently serve.”
So far in 2024, this unit has successfully readied 188 children in foster care for adoption through terminations of parental rights, according to the attorney general.
