Court decisions putting a child in foster care or under state guardianship can leave young people in trauma, even when the choices are smart. In a state struggling to improve foster care, older children deserve as much involvement in determining their future as possible.
A promising bill from Rep. Pat Lantz would create an experiment giving all children an attorney when they face dependency hearings that determine whether they are placed in foster care, under what conditions their parents can keep them or have them back home and the like. The two-county pilot project envisioned by HB3048 is an excellent opportunity to see if legal representation makes a significant difference for kids, as we suspect it will.
The pilot project, administered through the University of Washington School of Law's Children and Youth Advocacy Clinic, would offer every child 12 and older the help of a trained attorney for dependency cases. The project would measure results such as whether there is more attention from a caseworker, more visits with siblings and separated parents, and better educational progress.
Jim Theofelis of the Mockingbird Society, which advocates for young people in foster care, said most children that age are given considerable say in their future. Guardians ad litem and other volunteers do a good job of representing children's interest, but having a more direct say should increase young people's confidence, sense of control and understanding of the court decisions.