Marcia Robinson Lowry, Madelyn Freundlich and Sarah Gerstenzang examine the use of class action litigation as a strategy to reform child welfare systems in the United States. They describe the historical roots of the use of class action litigation to reform service systems and the development of this strategy specifically in relation to child welfare systems. They examine the debate about the value of class action litigation as a mechanism for reforming child welfare systems. Finally, the article discusses the typical phases of class action lawsuits against child welfare systems and looks at some of the outcomes of this type of litigation.