Spokane County

Spokane County Office

TeamChild Spokane opened as our second office in 1996 with grant funding in partnership with the Washington Defender Association and Columbia Legal Services. Spokane Juvenile Court staff welcomed TeamChild and quickly identified a strong need for help for youth without safe placements. TeamChild had the opportunity to work with the Juvenile Court to file CHINS petitions, identify safe placements, and, when possible, reunify families. In fact, compared to other TeamChild offices, we historically have served a higher proportion of homeless youth (about ¼ of our clients) and have the highest rate of cases involving Child In Need of Services (CHINS) petitions and emancipations.

Our early work seeking placements for youth has evolved into collaborating with YFA Connections and Volunteers of America to provide legal services addressing youth homelessness. We have also taken on representation of youth involved in the foster care system through a contract with the Office of Civil Legal Aid. In addition, TeamChild has made a concerted effort to impact the school to prison pipeline and has joined community partners to seek the adoption of restorative practices in Spokane Public Schools.