Child Welfare
LCYC provides proactive advocacy to help youth secure placement, family visitation, education, medical and mental health services, and more.
Youth Right to Counsel
House Bill 1219, passed in 2021, guarantees youth right to counsel in dependency cases in Washington State. In alignment with this legislation, LCYC is expanding its Child Welfare program in Washington State, thanks to an investment from Ballmer Group.
LCYC empowers youth by helping them understand and engage in complex legal systems, influencing court decisions that will impact their lives and their families forever.
After reviewing several years of data from our representation in child welfare cases, we found that the earlier in the case that a youth had access to an LCYC attorney, the more likely they were to remain with, or quickly return to, family. Our youth clients set the goals for the representation. Some youth need legal support to stay connected to their families, others need legal services to escape an abusive home, or to remain lawfully in the United States.
We partner with the youth, family members, schools, and community service providers to safely support the youth's goals. By providing high quality, holistic legal representation for youth so that they can access safety and stability, LCYC helps to decrease the number of youth exiting the child welfare system into homelessness.
LCYC collaborates with other nonprofit organizations and advocates to improve support for youth in the child welfare system. Learn more about LCYC’s efforts and partners for systemic change here.