Barry Moore’s Family Advocacy Bill Garners Support from Family Forward Project

U.S. Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL1) is taking aim at what many parents see as a broken child welfare system, introducing legislation that would require states to provide parents with access to trained family advocates from the very start of any investigation.

The Advocates for Families Act of 2025 is the latest effort to rein in bureaucratic overreach in state child welfare agencies. Moore’s bill is backed by the Family Forward Project (FFP), a nationwide grassroots movement that has grown into a powerful voice for parents who say the system too often tears families apart without cause.

“This is about doing what’s right for children and restoring common sense to the child welfare system,” Moore said in a statement. “This legislation will improve negotiations between families and the system, streamline and expedite the process, reduce stress on foster children, parents, and families, and save taxpayer dollars by decreasing the reliance on federal funding.”

Founded online by parents who lived through child welfare battles, the Family Forward Project has since organized families across the nation to speak directly to lawmakers. Core members include attorney Connie Reguli and advocate Rachel Bruno of Tennessee, journalist-turned-activist Terri LaPoint of Alabama, and Maureen O’Neil Davis and Cheryl Brown of Connecticut. Their work is rooted in a central concern: a 50-year-old law, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), ties federal dollars to the number of children removed from homes below the poverty line. Critics say this funding scheme encourages States to target poor, young, and vulnerable families.

“While child safety is always a priority, family integrity and continuity of care is an important long term goal to reduce the trauma that comes from separating children from their parents and extended family,” said Reguli, who has represented families in high-profile child welfare cases.

LaPoint, now running as a Republican in Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District, has become one of the movement’s most visible leaders. “I have reviewed hundreds of cases where families were torn apart by aggressive state actors. This bill will help parents navigate this complex system,” she said.

LaPoint told ALPolitics.com that, “Too many families are being ripped apart by Child Protective Services, leaving children traumatized and parents devastated. This bill is an important step to help families impacted by DHR to navigate their way to restoration. I've witnessed first-hand how advocates make a huge difference, especially for innocent, loving parents who get caught up in the system. I am thankful for Rep. Barry Moore, for his leadership in working for strong families.”

The Family Forward Project’s influence has already led to new organizations across the country. Davis and Brown founded Family Forward Advocacy CT to protect children in mental health crises from unnecessary removals. Bruno established The Giver of Light after State officials nearly took her children following an accident with her newborn. Each story underscores the same theme: families need support, not punishment, when facing difficult circumstances.

Moore’s bill, filed as H.R. 5647, mirrors last year’s bipartisan H.R. 8866 and has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. The legislation has three key goals: to guarantee families early access to trained advocates, to ensure ongoing support throughout the child welfare process, and to provide lawmakers with data that could reduce the nation’s reliance on foster care.

For conservatives, the measure is about more than child welfare. It is also a test of whether Congress is willing to challenge entrenched bureaucracies that operate with little accountability. Family Forward leaders argue that the stakes could not be higher, as the current system risks treating poverty as neglect and driving needless family separations.

“Parents should not have to fight the government alone,” LaPoint said. Moore agrees, and with this bill, he is putting Washington on notice: the days of unchecked power in child welfare agencies need to end.

The full text of H.R. 5647 is available HERE.