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At-Risk Youth Program
The purpose of the At-Risk Youth Program is to provide support for families, with or without Judicial oversight.
Supportive options include the At-Risk Youth legal petition, family mediation (Mediation Flier ARYCHINS) and/or case management services to refer families for:
- Behavioral Health Interventions
- Education Reengagement
- Community Support
An at-risk youth is defined by statute as a child under the age of 18 who meets at least 1 of the following 3 requirements:
- Is absent from home for at least 72 consecutive hours without parental consent.
- Is beyond parental control such that his/her behavior endangers the health, safety, or welfare of the child or any other person.
- Has a substance abuse problem for which there are no pending criminal charges relating to the substance abuse.
Only the parent of the child may file the At-Risk Youth (ARY) petition.
"Parent" is defined as those with the legal right to custody of the child and includes custodian or guardian. The ARY proceeding is a voluntary process, and a parent may request a dismissal at any time.
How to petition
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Get a Family Assessment
Contact your local Family Reconciliation Services (FRS) office at DSHS and request an appointment for intake and a Family Assessment. At the conclusion of this meeting, the intake caseworker will prepare a Family Assessment. Request a copy of the Family Assessment and attach it to the petition before filing. The Court must have a copy of the Family Assessment before proceeding with the hearing.
Call 1-800-609-8764 from 8 am to 4:30 pm and 1-800-562-5624 for after-hours.
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Fill Out an ARY Petition
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File your petition
File your petition with the Court Clerk's Office at either Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent or King County Courthouse in Seattle.
File your petition at any location. Hearings, however, occur in the courthouse nearest the zip code where the parent resides. Generally, Seattle, Eastside and North King County cases will be heard in Seattle and South King County will be heard in Kent.
There is no cost to filing.
If you need help, call a case manager based on where you live:
- Amy Andree for Auburn, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton, Tahoma, and Tukwila school districts
- Karen Chapman for Bellevue, Issaquah, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, Riverview, Seattle, Shoreline, Skykomish, Snoqualmie, and Vashon school districts
Interpreter services
If an interpreter for the youth and/or parents is necessary, let the Clerk's office know at the time of filing. Provide the name of the person needing an interpreter and the language requested. King County Superior Court will pay for all interpreter services.
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Serving the petition
After filing a petition, it must be properly served to the person you are filing against along with a Notice of Hearing that you received from the Clerk's Office. The server must be someone other than the petitioner who is age 18 or older. This person must hand the party a copy of the documents that are coming before the court.
After the server delivers the court papers to the opposing party, the server should complete the Declaration of Service form. That form requires the server to make a sworn statement to the court (under oath) that s/he served the party with the necessary court papers. The server must date and sign the form at the bottom and return it to the party requesting her/his services. That form constitutes "proof of service" and should be brought to the hearing.
If the child is on the run and personal service is not possible contact a case manager for further information.
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Preparing for court
You will get a date for a fact-finding hearing when you file a petition with the Court Clerk's Office.
At the fact-finding hearing, the court checks the provided evidence. After confirming the facts, the court may impose conditions of supervision on the child. These cannot include involuntary commitment for substance abuse or mental health. The parent may also need to take in services. The court may ask for a dispositional hearing for this.
At the end of the disposition, the court will schedule the matter for a review hearing within 90 days. At this hearing, the court reviews the conditions of supervision from the previous hearing. They can make any necessary additions or changes to the previous conditions.
Cost
Your child will be assigned a court-appointed attorney for all hearings. Parents are not entitled to a court-appointed attorney, regardless of financial need. You always has the right to get an attorney at your own expense. If you need help, contact a case manager.
Prepare for the hearing
- Get copies of all relevant written records and make 2 copies of any document you plan on submitting to the Court.
- You may bring witnesses to provide testimony at the hearing. Written sworn statements from witnesses who cannot appear at the hearing are acceptable. A "sworn" statement must:
- Include "I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington that the foregoing is true and correct" underneath the statement
- Be signed and dated with the city noted.
- Prepare a short background summary of the situation for the court.
- Everything you provide to the court must also be shared with parties.
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After hearing
- Do not leave the building before obtaining a copy of the court order signed by the Judge/Commissioner from the Court Coordinator.
- Read the order carefully to ensure that everything is written as indicated by the Judge/Commissioner.
- Make a note of the date and time of the next court hearing in your calendar.
- If the court order includes individual or family counseling, anger management, drug/alcohol evaluation or treatment, psychological/psychiatric evaluation or treatment, you should begin exploring service providers and get a program set up immediately; you may contact DSHS for referrals. You may ask a case manager for assistance.
Costs
The parent is responsible for costs related to the court-ordered plan (counseling, drug/alcohol evaluations/treatment, mental health evaluations, etc.). There may also be a cost for the appointed attorney for your child. Whenever the court approves an out-of-home placement, the court will check if the parents can pay for the service. If they are able to contribute to the support of the child, the court orders them to make support payments. However, a parent who has both opposed the placement and sought reconciliation with, and return of, the child will not be pay for out-of-home placement.
Contempt of court
Failure by any party to follow a court order is contempt of court. Report violations of the court order are to the court through the filing of a contempt motion. A parent, a child, or a person/agency with custody of the child can file one. If the court makes a finding of contempt at a contempt hearing, the court may impose penalties.
This may be one or more penalties, including:
- Coercive sanctions, such as research papers or community service hours
- Alternatives to secure detention, such as work crew or electronic home monitoring
- Confinement for up to 7 days in juvenile detention
- A fine of up to $100
You do not need to wait for a scheduled review hearing to report violations of the court's orders. An appointment with a case manager is necessary to file a contempt motion or request a warrant. You must call ahead and schedule an appointment to meet with a case manager for help. Check phone messages for hours before dropping in.