Community Resources
Legal Resources
King County Bar Association (legal services)
www.kcba.org
King County Dependency CASA (Clarifications of CASA Programs)
www.metrokc.gov/kcsc/depcasa.htm
Northwest Justice Project (legal resources)
www.nwjustice.org
Northwest Women's Law Center
www.nwwlc.org
Washington Family Law Reporter
www.wflr.com
Washington State CASA
www.washingtonstatecasa.org
Clarifications of CASA Programs
Family Law CASA, a non-profit agency, works on cases filed by individuals: divorces, paternity, third party (non-parental) custody, or modifications of any of these types of cases. The volunteer is often the only investigator in the case. Cases involve children from newborns to age 17. Parents in these cases have no right to counsel so are not represented unless they can pay or find a free (pro bono) attorney. Services for the family are not paid for by the court system. Volunteers are appointed to address the “best interests of the child.” One volunteer deals with all of the kids in a family. The program limits the number of cases it takes per month and it has an income cutoff to serve low and moderate income families.
Dependency CASA works on cases normally inititated by the Sate Attorney General’s Office as a result of a complaint to CPS (Child Protective Services) that raises an issue of parental unfitness and/or abuse/neglect. DCFS does an intensive investigation of the child’s circumstances. Parents in these cases have a right to counsel and the child is a party to the case. Services for the family are paid for by the county. Volunteers are appointed for children under 12 and normally children 12 and over are assigned an attorney. Volunteers are appointed to advocate for the “best interests of the child.” Dependency cases tend to run longer than family law cases.