A study by two national children's advocacy groups says Nevada is getting better at protecting the rights of abused and neglected children.
The groups, First Star and Children's Advocacy Institute at San Diego School of Law, gave Nevada a "C" in this past year's study. While the study says that still isn't great, it's far better than the "F" the state received in the 2007 survey.
Unlike 2007, the state received full credit for legal changes providing representation by a lawyer at all stages in dependency proceedings when a lawyer is appointed to a case. But the state was docked points because the appointment of a lawyer to represent the child is not mandatory.
The state was also criticized for not specifying training requirements for attorneys appointed to represent children.
The state was credited for giving that lawyer full power to advocate for the child's wishes and the same rights as any attorney representing adult parties in a case.
According to the report issued by the advocacy groups, a number of states have made some progress including Nevada. But it concludes that too many states still leave children essentially voiceless during proceedings. They are urging that states mandate appointment of attorneys for children in dependency proceedings.