Meeting the needs of children throughout King County.

When parents in conflict choose sides, and allege problems such as domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health issues and other personal failings, the resulting trauma to their children is rarely a primary consideration. It is natural for the invisible 'wounds' of this experience to impact any child's sense of well-being, value, and stability; it is not necessary for the consequences to haunt them for a lifetime. To mitigate the potential damage to children from custody disputes in the family law system, it is often desirable for children to have their own advocate. And judges often need an impartial outside evaluation of the issues impacting the children of families involved in contested family law cases.

Family Law CASA serves children from low to medium income families throughout King County involved in these types of custody cases involving allegations of substance abuse, domestic violence or mental illness. Specifically, the demographic of the families served is:

•  More than 50% of the children are less than 6 years old
• 33% are people of color
• Most are living in two separate households with a combined income of $40,000 or less
• 40% of cases involve multiple allegations such as substance abuse and domestic violence

There is no constitutional right to an attorney for a parent or child in a family law case. As a result, many custody cases come into the court system with parties attempting to represent themselves. Even though parents may be unprepared and without complete legal representation, a Superior Court Judge or Commissioner must still make a custody decision – regardless of whether sufficient information reflecting the best interests of the child was provided. That’s why Family Law CASA’s work is so critical to meeting a child’s needs.

If you are interested in volunteering as a CASA, simply complete the Volunteer Application Form.