Who We Are
Within minutes of a parent calling and providing background information to Family First Legal Advocates of Whatcom and Skagit County, we can begin providing FREE legal representation to pregnant persons and parents of newborns who are at risk of CPS intervention and removal. The goal of Family First is to help parents make informed decisions, understand their legal rights and the implications of ignoring the Department of Children, Youth and Families, DCYF, and make informed decisions and avoid fear-based "fight or flight" reactions to the department.
The parent partners with an attorney and a defense social worker and/or veteran parent ally to navigate DCYF involvement in an effort to prevent the harm of removal by keeping families together!
Who We Help
While our funding is specific to:
- Pregnant women facing possible DCYF involvement due to presence of safety threats
- Parents in the hospital, after birth (prior to discharge), whose newborn has been referred to DCYF for investigation
We will take phone calls from ANY parent with children of ANY age who are in need of help and guidance and wish to speak to an attorney for FREE and get support and advice, so please CALL!!
How it Works:
- Parent contacts us by calling 360-815-2241 - either on their own or referred by an agency such as PeaceHealth Medical Center, Brigid Collins, PCAP, Lighthouse Mission, or The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to name a few local organizations.
- Parent must sign or verbally acknowledge acceptance of Legal Representation, which shall include a description of the scope and length of representation.
- Attorney shall send DCYF a letter of representation to signal to DCYF that the parent has obtained a lawyer and that all correspondence and contact should go through the attorney’s office. The letter shall express scope and length of representation.
- Representation ends when DCYF closes their investigation (or files a Dependency Petition, in which case, OPD Representation begins). Once the DCYF case closes, Family First Legal Advocates representation and parent eligibility ends.
What We Do
Our team can assist with preventative services and referrals to local resources such as:
- Connection to service providers, including but not limited to detox centers, substance use disorder evaluators and mental health intake providers
- Referrals to housing programs
- Assistance with protection orders, custody orders, warrants, etc.
- *Request gas/food vouchers. If a parent does not know what they will eat or how to get places, they can not possibly focus on a parenting class
- Assist with safety assessments and safety planning
- Help with identification of support networks