LEGAL COUNSEL FOR YOUTH AND CHILDREN

Children have unique legal rights and interests, such as education, basic nurturing, physical and mental health, family relationships, liberty, safe and stable housing, and permanency. Children involved in the child welfare or other juvenile court systems, and unaccompanied homeless youth face substantial barriers in realizing these legal rights and interests. They are at risk of permanently losing relationships with siblings and parents. They are at risk of incarceration. They may experience multiple placements and school changes or the inability to access safe shelter or healthcare. Children involved in these systems face cascading repercussions such as poor school attendance, low graduation rates, unemployment, involvement in the criminal justice system, and homelessness. There is an over-representation of youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth within the child welfare, juvenile court systems, and among young people experiencing homelessness. Holistic, community-based legal advocacy is essential to ensure children’s legal rights, to break down barriers, and to expand opportunities for youth to overcome the odds.

Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC) improves the well-being of young people by advancing their legal rights. Our four focus areas (outlined below) include child welfare, juvenile court, youth homelessness, and youth and family immigration.

LCYC represents youth involved in child welfare proceedings up to age 21 years. LCYC provides proactive legal advocacy around placement, family visitation, permanency planning, education, and mental health services. LCYC attorneys’ caseloads are less than half that of a standard public defender. This lower caseload allows LCYC attorneys to meaningfully engage with youth, having deep knowledge of each individual child and the ability to empower youth to play a key role in life changing decisions made by the juvenile court.

LCYC represents youth involved in the juvenile court system. LCYC investigates, advises, and works with youth to resolve specific charges against them, while also offering advocacy around issues such as homelessness, special education, access to benefits, and safety at home.

LCYC’s Youth Homelessness Program was recognized in 2017 by the Homeless Youth Legal Advocacy Network of the American Bar Association as one of twelve model programs nationally. LCYC’s engagement with community partners and schools is the realization of an innovative approach to delivering civil legal aid services that helps young people avert or overcome crisis and thrive. LCYC provides regular onsite intake at schools and shelters, creating a multidisciplinary team to holistically and timely respond to youth in crisis. LCYC's team serves over 200 young people annually through our Youth Homelessness Programs in King and Walla Walla Counties. In King County, about half of the youth served are minors, about 75% are youth of color, and about 25% identify as LGBTQ+ youth.

LCYC provides critical legal advice and representation to immigrant youth and the children of immigrants whose parent(s) are picked up or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We represent unaccompanied immigrant youth who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent(s) and are seeking to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) in King County. Before an immigrant youth can apply for SIJS, they need an order of dependency from a state juvenile court. LCYC frequently partners with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) and Kids In Need of Defense to jointly support youth. LCYC initiates and handles the case in juvenile court, and NWIRP or KIND assist the youth in applying for SIJS. LCYC also developed a Safety Plan for parents who are at risk. The Safety Plan is a set of documents and steps for parents to complete, so there is a plan in place for their child if the parent is picked up by ICE. The Safety Plan is intended to reduce the inevitable trauma of separation by providing children with as much stability as possible and avoiding unnecessary involvement in the child welfare system or prolonged separation from their parents.

In addition to our direct services, LCYC takes lessons learned from the young people we support, our staff and community partners, to inform policy at the local, city, county, and state levels.