First Star is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) charity that focuses on improving the lives of abused and neglected children by strengthening their rights, illuminating systemic failures, and igniting reform to correct them.

First Star believes that if society fails to prevent child maltreatment, our nation must provide abused and neglected children with quality and compassionate care.

First Star believes abused and neglected children have the right to safe, permanent, and nurturing homes, quality education, representation by qualified legal counsel, notice and opportunity to participate in their cases, and protection by open and accountable courts.

First Star believes child welfare professionals who protect, treat, and represent abused and neglected children should be well-trained and fairly compensated.

First Star believes child abuse and neglect is not a partisan issue.

Mission

First Star improves the lives of America’s abused and neglected children by strengthening their rights, illuminating systemic failures and igniting necessary reforms. We pursue our mission through research, public engagement, policy advocacy, education and litigation.

First Star fights for a future in which America’s abused and neglected children will have won full recognition of their fundamental right to be heard and protected by the systems legally entrusted with their care, a future in which those systems are fully resourced, transparent and accountable to the public.

First Star was co-founded by Peter Samuelson

Peter Samuelson

Peter Samuelson is an American and British TV and film producer and executive producer.- Career :Peter Samuelson is President of Film Associates, Inc. http://www.samuelson.la a media consultancy and production company...

and Sherry Quirk in 1999.

Locations

First Star is based out of Washington, D.C.
1666 K Street Northwest, Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20006

Publications

Abused and neglected children are among the most vulnerable groups in the United States. First Star believes that these children have basic rights that must be respected. Established in 2006, the Report Card Program hopes to catalyze statewide systemic reform to better protect children and save lives by making information about child abuse and neglect available to the public and providing legal representation in dependency proceedings. To date, we have published three Report Cards:

State Secrecy and Child Deaths in the U.S.

Childhood Denied: Ending the Nightmare of Child Abuse and Neglect

A Child's Right to Counsel: Second Edition

External links

• First Star's Website http://www.firststar.org
• State Secrecy and Child Deaths in the U.S. Report http://www.caichildlaw.org/Misc/State_Secrecy_Final_Report_Apr24.pdf
• A Child's Right to Counsel: Second Edition http://firststar.org/documents/Final_RTC_2nd_Edition.pdf