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Child Welfare: Recently Filed Supreme Court Opinions

September 6, 2024

Court opinions are official declarations from judges regarding legal controversies occurring in recent cases. They are written documents that explain the court's reasoning and provide guidance for future cases. Below are three recently filed opinions related to child welfare.

RCW 13.04.033(3) requires the lawyer for a parent in a child welfare case to obtain “specific direction” from the client in advance of seeking appellate review. Also, a lawyer isn’t required to file a sworn statement or signature by client saying that the client provided permission to file appeal. (Dependency of A.H).
The statute requires superior courts to hold shelter care review hearings every 30 days as long as a child is in shelter care (Baby BBB).
To place a child out of their family home under RCW 13.34.130(6)(a), the standard of proof is preponderance of the evidence. (Dependency of Z.A, et.al.)

View the full list of recent court opinions