Juvenile Court

Presiding Judge Raymond F. Clary

  

Juvenile Courtroom 3, Juvenile Court Judge

Superior Court Commissioners

Juvenile Court Responsibilities

  • ARY/CHINS matters
  • Dependency Cases
  • Juvenile Offender matters
  • Truancy matters

Juvenile Court Coordinator

The Juvenile Court Coordinator coordinates all Court Calendars, Schedules and Case Management issues for the Juvenile Court Judge and the Court Commissioners while serving in Juvenile Court.

ARY/CHINS Court Liaison

The ARY/CHINS Court Liaison assists families and children who wish to file At Risk Youth (ARY) or Child in Need of Services (CHINS) Petitions with the initial case process and with any initial resources while awaiting the Court’s intervention and hearing. Further, this position partners with the Becca team throughout the duration of each case in Juvenile Court.  The ARY/CHINS Court Liaison can be reached for questions by calling 509-477-2459.

Family and Juvenile Court Improvement Project (FJCIP)

The FJCIP program was implemented by state in 2007. As of 2020, ten counties in Washington state have a FJCIP program including; Kitsap, Seattle, Island, Snohomish, Chelan, Pierce, Thurston, King, Jefferson, Clallam, and Spokane. FJCIP programs are focused on making improvements to the dependency court system.  

Over the years, Spokane’s program has implemented such successful projects as The Unified Family Court Program to assist dependency families with their family law cases, The Parent for Parent program, and The Safe Babies Court Team Approach. While new program implementation is an important part of the FJCIP program, there are also other important duties including:

  • Facilitating dependency committee work to improve the dependency system
  • Connecting dependency court to key community partners
  • Moving the system towards a trauma responsive approach
  • Gathering and analyzing data for system improvement
  • Incorporating Unified Family Court (UFC) principles in a model that allows flexible implementation centered on core elements, including stable leadership, education, and case management support

The Family and Juvenile Court Improvement Program (FJCIP) courts continue to outperform other courts in Washington State in compliance with dependency timeliness. The FJCIP promotes a system of local improvements that are incremental and measurable. Funding for the FJCIP makes system improvements possible in each court regardless of size, calendaring systems, number of judges, or availability of resources.

Unified Family Court Program

Families involved in a dependency matter and are in need of a parenting plan, or assistance with nonparental custody, can obtain assistance from the FJCIP Court Staff Assistant. This service is for families who have had their children removed from their care by Child Protective Services, were reunified through the course of the Dependency, and need a parenting plan before their case can be dismissed. Permission in the Dependency must first be granted by the Court Commissioner through an order for Leave to Proceed. Referrals should be made through the family's social worker.

Safe Babies Court Team Approach

The Safe Babies Court Team Approach is a community engagement and systems-change initiative focused on reducing trauma and improving how courts, child welfare and child-serving organization work together to support young children in, or at-risk of entering, the child welfare system.

Learn More About the Safe Babies Court Team Approach