The KCBA Kinship Care Solutions Project (KCSP) revamped its operations last year to provide services under the new Uniform Guardianship Act (UGA) which replaced Washington’s Nonparental Custody Act in 2021.
Over 75,000 children in Washington are not in the care of their parents. Of those, 45,000 children are being cared for by grandparents or great-grandparents. The remainder are in the care of other relatives or interested persons or are part of the state’s foster care and dependency system. Most of those caregivers have income below 150% of the federal poverty level. In King County about 400 or more cases are filed annually in the Superior Court for minor guardianship under the UGA. We estimate that about half of the cases qualify for services of the Project and we have provided services for about 30% of those. The number of cases is expected to grow.
Our clients come from a variety of organizations involved in serving kinship caregivers in Washington. They are grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and others caring for children whose parents are not to be found, are deceased, are grappling with substance abuse, mental health or other issues, are otherwise unable, or who are just not willing to parent. The children range in age from newborn babies to teenagers. They may have been with their caregiver for months or years or have just recently come into their care; perhaps being abandoned, turned over by CPS, or having come unaccompanied to the U.S. fleeing abuse and violence in their home country. Some of our clients are dealing with issues of providing adequate housing, obtaining health care or other services for the children and their family. They are often overburdened and sometimes overwhelmed.
The KCSP serves caregivers and the children in several ways. We train and mentor volunteer attorneys to represent petitioner caregivers in King County Superior Court minor guardianship proceedings, in some few cases we have also represented the minor child as petitioner. We also offer in-clinic services to pro-se clients, assisting them with paperwork, filing and preparation for hearings.
Volunteers have the opportunity to help individual caregivers establish a minor guardianship to provide a secure, safe and nurturing family environment for the children. Volunteers learn the new minor guardianship law in Washington and King County procedures under the UGA. Volunteers may also gain experience in obtaining a Special Immigrant Juvenile Classification for the child, which are part of a few of our cases. And volunteers have the opportunity to gain experience in client communications, case negotiations, strategy and management, and trial preparation and conduct. Paul McVicker, who manages the Project is a veteran attorney with 45 years’ experience.
The KCSP supports its volunteers at all stages of the case as needed. We provide training and are readily available to assist and mentor volunteers at any stage. Volunteers are covered by the KCBA Pro-Bono Services’ malpractice insurance policy, interpreter and translation services are provided, and other assistance, such as using KCBA offices as an address or for meetings, is available as required. Plus, CLE credits can be earned by completing our training and representing a client.
You can volunteer to help in several ways. We need more volunteer attorneys to represent a caregiver in court proceedings. You can also assist clients in-clinic, which does not require scheduled times or in-person meetings. We have also begun a roster of volunteer mediators to which you could add your name. To volunteer, you may apply online at https://www.kcba.org/?pg=Pro-Bono-Services.
For questions about the program, contact Paul McVicker at 206.340.2587, paulm@kcba.org.
