Washington courts rarely discipline guardians ad litem accused of misconduct in custody cases
Minimal oversight of court investigators makes it difficult for parents to challenge flawed reports without risking damage to their cases
Foster Care
Washington foster kids detail abuse at Sequel group homes
Washington foster youths recount mistreatment at out-of-state Sequel Youth & Family Services facilities.
Washington housing foster care kids at state offices in record-breaking numbers
The number of times that state child-welfare workers housed foster children overnight in government offices has exploded, from six times in the last reporting period to 284.
COVID-19 spreads in WA’s foster-care group home system; operators fear state's wrath
With COVID-19 spreading into Washington’s system of foster care group homes, operators of the facilities say they are in a precarious position and fear “retaliation” by state child-welfare officials
Amid COVID-19, ex-foster youth struggle – will WA match other states’ rescue plans?
Young adults in the foster care system, who are disproportionately people of color, were already at risk for a litany of serious problems even before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Birth parents fight to visit kids in foster system during pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has translated into severe unhappiness for parents of children taken into Washington State's foster-care system who no longer are able in most cases to have in-person contact with their children.
