Guide to Child Support Services for Caregivers (PDF) (DSHS 22-1143) This brochure describes the services that the Child Support Division of DSHS – DCS can offer you if you are caring for a parent`s child. The DCS may establish paternity and make, enforce or vary child support orders. Find out what services you receive when you receive public assistance or Medicaid for the child in your household. Also learn what you need to do to help DCS and what to do if you think child support services could harm you or the child in your household. For family law matters, consider a paralegal with a limited license. Washington is the first state in the country to offer this new low-cost legal representation option. You can request DCS services even if you do not receive public support. Receiving TANF or medical help automatically leads to a case of DCS. If you are concerned that working with the DCS may be dangerous for you or the child, contact your local community services office to discuss a „good reason“ for not cooperating. If your problem is more complicated and you need representation, the CLEAR lawyer will try to refer you to a legal aid provider in your community. Based on the information you give to the CLEAR lawyer, they can give you oral or written advice that can help you resolve your issue on your own.
They also have an extensive library of informational materials to help you understand your legal rights and advocate for yourself. If your problem is covered by one of these documents, the CLEAR lawyer will send them to you free of charge. Before CLEAR can assist you, a screening officer must determine that you are eligible for services. Due to limited resources, lawyers and paralegals cannot speak to all callers, and services are for people with issues affecting basic needs such as housing, income, medical care and family safety. Many Washington counties have programs that can connect people with civil law issues with a pro bono attorney. Click here for a list of pro bono lawyer programs. CLEAR (Coordinated Legal Education, Advice and Referral) helps low-income Washington residents resolve civil law issues. Apply for free legal aid online or call one of the following toll-free numbers: FAQ – This FAQ should not be considered legal advice. The following information is provided for informational purposes only. It is recommended that you consult a lawyer who will help you determine your options. Information on COVID-19 services and supports is available here.
____ The website also contains numerous legal publications and self-help kits. Depending on where you live, there are different ways to get legal help. If you are allowed to talk to a lawyer or paralegal, they will ask you questions about your problem. Please have papers or documents related to your problem when you call. It will also be useful if you have important information such as the names of the people involved in the problem, as well as their addresses and phone numbers. For more information about CLEAR, see: www.nwjustice.org/get-legal-help Washington Law Help provides forms, tools, and basic information on a range of legal issues. They may also provide information on how to represent yourself in court on certain legal issues. Apply online or call 855-741-6930 to request a referral to a lawyer who offers discounted fees to middle-income clients Neighborhood Legal Clinics offers FREE 30-minute consultations with a lawyer at 34 locations in King County, including locations specializing in debt, bankruptcy, and family law. Lawyers determine if the client has a legal problem, suggest possible options, and make appropriate recommendations. NLC lawyers will not represent you in court.
NLC is a limited legal service and should not be considered a substitute for representation. CLEAR is a high-volume legal aid service. Often, there are more people trying to reach CLEAR than there are lawyers helping them. You may receive the message „Due to high call volume, we are currently unable to process additional calls“ asking you to call back later. Please be patient and keep trying. Once there is the ability to answer another call, CLEAR will reopen and you will move on. The King County Law Association`s Pro Bono Services Division works with over 1400 volunteer lawyers, paralegals, law students and community members to provide free legal assistance to low-income residents of King County. Click on a link below to learn more. The Northwest Justice Project`s YouTube channel provides legal information on a range of topics The Legal Links page contains links to online legal resources, government and court resources, and more. If you are applying for legal aid for the first time, please call CLEAR if you are outside King County, or 2-1-1 if you are located in King County.
If you`re looking for basic information about the law, legal issues, and self-help solutions on a variety of topics, head over to WashingtonLawHelp. You will find hundreds of brochures and up-to-date materials on many topics that affect low-income people. These are classified by categories of legal problems. The Civil Legal Aid Office is not a provider of civil legal aid. Services are provided by non-profit legal aid organizations throughout the state. TeamChild provides free holistic civil justice representation to youth who face significant barriers to accessing the community services, school programs and treatment they need to succeed in life and stay out of trouble. TeamChild has five offices in Washington State, in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Yakima and Spokane counties. For more information about TeamChild and resources on advocacy in education, please visit teamchild.org/ The Records Project provides free legal services to overturn legitimate criminal convictions in King County for people who are at 200% or less of the federal poverty line. A conviction overturned is removed from the public background research available to employers and potential owners. Our goal is to remove barriers to employment and housing created by creeds. www.bflegalaid.org/tenantsevictions-assistance.html Call 211 for information and referrals to an appropriate legal service provider Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m.
to 6:00 p.m. You can also call (206) 461-3200 or the toll-free number, which can be useful if you are calling from a pay phone, 1-877-211-9274. 211 provides free interpreters to callers when needed. Callers who are deaf or hard of hearing can dial 1-800-833-6384 or 711 to connect free of charge to a relay operator, who then connects them to 211. Consult the following legal topics or use the search box to find information. Many family members who raise children face a variety of legal problems. The following resources are available to provide information: Parenting Solutions Project Provides free legal representation to parents and other caregivers who are seeking custody (also known as third-party custody) of one or more children. Contact the Legal Education, Advice and Referral Coordination – CLEAR. CL EAR is the Northwest Justice Project`s toll-free telephone service that provides eligible low-income individuals with free legal assistance for civil law matters.
The Northwest Justice Project provides eligible low-income individuals with free legal assistance on priority civil law issues in Washington State. If you live in a county other than King County, please contact the CLEAR Legal Helpline at 1-888-201-1014 weekdays between 9:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. PST to speak to someone about your legal problem. If you are 60 years of age or older, you can call CLEAR*Sr at 1-888-387-7111, regardless of your income. You can also ask nwjustice.org/clear-online for help online. The Moderate Means program is a referral program that connects middle-income clients who may not be eligible for free legal aid but cannot afford to pay full price for legal services. The Moderate Means programme helps to solve problems related to family, housing, consumption and unemployment. If you live in King County and are seeking legal help, you can call 211 to be connected to services.
If you are already working with a civil legal aid organization and want to know if their services have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you should visit the organization`s website or contact them directly. For a list of civil law organizations, click here. Callers who are Deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired can call CLEAR through the relay service of their choice. Callers who communicate in ASL may choose to obtain ASL legal aid via videophone/video relay service. Apply online: You can also apply for legal aid online via CLEAR*Online. Establishing paternity creates a legal relationship between a father and a child that can help ensure a family history and entitlement to social security or other dependent benefits for the child.
