The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) recently modified its visitation policy in a major way. There is now a presumption that visits between parents and children be unsupervised and in the least restrictive setting unless the presence of threats and danger to the child requires the constant presence of an adult to ensure the safety of the child. Thus a concrete risk must be identified rather than assuming visits be supervised. Early and consistent visitation is the most important component of reunification when children are removed from the home. Supervised visitation in practice often results in no visitation because of the Department’s lack of an identified provider. Promoting more frequent and liberalized visitation for families is beneficial in a multitude of ways. Consistent and early visitation is key for children to heal from the trauma of separation. It minimizes the self-blame that children in dependency cases often feel. Early visitation reduces the time children spend in out-of-home care, paving a quicker road to permanency and saving state resources. It motivates parents to engage more fully in their cases from the beginning. It makes transitions home go much more smoothly for all. While these are only a handful of benefits of promoting visitation, it is clear the Department’s new policy will benefit families. DSHS is moving in the right direction with this change.
STAY UP TO DATE
Subscribe to our newsletters
FURTHER READING
Latest Blog Posts
Unsure where to begin gathering the foundation you need to go through the divorce process with confidence and well-prepared? Consider the following 10 tips to prepare for divorce.
Everyone who has anyone in their life needs an estate plan, even people who own little or no property.
A common question about legal fees is why they are so high. The following article details what is built into legal fees and explains their cost.
Gifting an estate plan is an act of love because an estate plan goes far beyond material possessions, addressing the emotional, practical, and long-term well-being of your loved ones.
Prenuptial agreements (also known as prenups) can play a pivotal role in safeguarding individual spousal rights in the event of divorce and can also strengthen a marriage.
Valentine’s Day can be tricky for single parents, maybe even you. Unpartnered, at least for the time being, you might not foresee your plans fitting into conventional images of the holiday. But that doesn’t have to be. Valentine’s Day, when you’re single, can be more than a day you need to survive. It can be a day to look forward to.
Collaborative law has evolved into a globally practiced
discipline, extending well beyond the realm of family law, and is used frequently in Seattle divorces.
Classifying January as divorce month could be misleading, given how some of the numbers tell a different story. However, one thing remains clear: January is a great time for a fresh start.
A family law attorney can help with child custody (residential time) by creating or modifying a parenting plan.
Given the importance of the trustee’s role in an estate plan, it is necessary to understand the responsibilities before choosing a trustee or accepting the obligation to become one.