The Uniform Guardianship Act became effective on January 1, 2022, and changed the law and procedures for minor and adult guardianships.

If you are a minor and do not have a parent to care for you, or are a relative or friend caring for someone else’s child(ren) and need custody, you can petition the court for guardianship. Formerly called non-parental custody cases, these types of cases are filed under Washington state’s new Minor Guardianship law, which took effect on January 1, 2021. A Minor Guardianship case requires a party to show by clear and convincing evidence that no parent is willing or able to exercise certain parenting functions, and that it is in the best interest of the children for the proposed guardian to have custody. In emergency situations where the children’s safety is at stake, parties may petition the court for Emergency Minor Guardianship, which if granted, lasts for 60 days with the possibility of a 60-day extension. When there is an immediate risk of harm to the children, an immediate restraining order filed in conjunction with the Emergency Minor Guardianship may be an option. Emergency Minor Guardianships are expedited through the courts and have careful timing considerations.

There may come a time when loves ones or friends require assistance and management of their personal and financial matters. If there is no less restrictive alternative available, a guardianship may be an option. If a guardianship action is filed and successful, a court-appointed Guardian has the duty to supervise the personal, legal, and financial needs of the incapacitated person. Regular reports must be filed with the courts.

• I can assist with in both agreed and contested cases.

• Please contact me to schedule a consultation.

If Child Protective Services (CPS), an agency within the Department of Children, Youth & Families, or a court has made a finding against you for abuse or neglect, you are permanently banned from having unsupervised access to vulnerable adults and children in certain settings. If you have failed a background check, or need to pass a background check to work, you can apply for a Certificate of Parental Improvement (CPI) to make it easier to work.

A CPI can make it easier to work with children or vulnerable adults, in a variety of settings if you can show that the reasons for the findings are no longer problems for you.

For example, you may have a CPS finding because you were struggling with addiction, but you have completed treatment and been clean and sober for five years with no other findings. You would like to work in a day care but the finding prevents you from doing so. It should not prevent you from working, and a CPI can help. You are eligible if the following is true:

• It's been 5 years since you last had a founded finding from CPS.

• It's been more than 2 years since you had a CPI denied.

• Your finding did not involve certain kinds of physical abuse of a child (shaking, use of a deadly weapon).

• You haven't already been issued a CPI and then had another finding of abuse of neglect afterward.

• You don't have any of these types of felony convictions on your criminal record.

• Any felony offense involving the physical neglect of a child under chapter 9A.42 RCW;

• Any felony offense under chapter 9A.32 or 9A.36 RCW involving a physical injury or death of a child;

• Any felony domestic violence offense committed against a family or household member as defined in chapter 10.99 RCW;

• A felony offense against a child under chapter 9.68A RCW;

• Any felony defined under any law as a class A felony or an attempt to commit a class A felony;

• Criminal solicitation of or criminal conspiracy to commit a class A felony;

• Manslaughter in the first or second degree;

• Indecent liberties;

• Kidnapping in the second degree;

• Arson in the second degree;

• Extortion in the first degree;

• Robbery in the second degree;

• Drive-by shooting; and

• Vehicular homicide.

To find out if you are eligible for file for a CPI, schedule a consultation with me.

If you are a tenant facing problems with your landlord or neighbors, I can help advise you about your rights and options. With years of experience working with tenants in both market rate rental housing and subsidized housing, I can help you through this process.

If you have an administrative legal issue such as an Adult Protective Services or Child Protective Services investigation, I can help you through this complicated process.

If your child has been the subject of school discipline, harassment, intimidation, bullying or a school district is refusing or failing to provide services as outlined in a 504 or IEP, contact me for assistance.