New state law guarantees children a voice in court
CBH Columbia Basin Herald Local News
EPHRATA - Grant County children who have abusive or ineffective parents will soon get a guaranteed voice in what happens to them.
A new state law that takes effect July 1 will force Grant County officials and every other Washington county to appoint an attorney for each child whose parents' rights have been terminated for at least six months.
The law plugs a hole in the system that allows children to request an attorney, but did not guarantee them access to one, Public Policy Director Laurie Lippold said, of Partners for Our Children, a Washington-based advocacy group.
The attorney appointed for a child may advocate for that child to stay in a home that while not perfect is comfortable and familiar, Lippold said. The child's attorney is supposed to argue and file motions on behalf of the child, regardless of what the state or parents say, she said.
Warren Swanson, director of the Grant County Juvenile Department, told county commissioners this week there are 57 children in the county who would qualify under the new law for an attorney and it would cost the county about $60,000 per year to pay for attorney fees. He said that about eight to 10 of those children already have an attorney.
He warned commissioners the state-allocated reimbursement amount of $1 million, would likely not be enough money to cover every county's attorneys' fees, meaning Grant County taxpayers would have to pay some of the money.
Swanson said that Grant County would pay for the attorney fees as they come up and they would petition the state for reimbursement quarterly.
Lippold said while many Washington counties automatically appoint attorneys for children 12 or older during those hearings, some will appoint an attorney if the child is at least 8, and some, like Grant County only appoint an attorney if the child is at least 12 and requests one.
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