Editorial: Foster children need timely legal protection
February 18, 2014
WASHINGTON state is not doing what it should to protect the legal rights of the nearly 10,000 foster children in its care. First Star, a nonprofit advocating for abused and neglected children nationwide, gives the state an F and ranks it 48th in the nation in its latest report card. The rating is based partly on the fact that most counties do not require courts to appoint attorneys to represent children in dependency cases.