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.
Hear from Rosey about how we are currently working remotely and continue to connect with young people in Spokane County during COVID-19 physical distancing.
CORE PARTNERS
As we advocate for the multi-dimensional needs of our clients, we are fortunate to have strong relationships with local partners. This is not an exhaustive list, but they include:
- Arc of Spokane
- Counsel for Defense
- Crisis Residential Center
- Crosswalk/Volunteers of America
- ESD 101
- Every Student Counts Alliance (See flyer)
- Frontier Behavioral Health
- Gonzaga School of Law (See record sealing clinic flyer / application)
- Lutheran Community Services
- NATIVE Project
- Northwest Autism
- Northwest Justice Project
- Passages
- PAVE
- Region 1 Juvenile Rehabilitation
- Spokane County Public Defender’s Office
- Spokane Juvenile Court
- Treehouse
- Volunteer Lawyer Program
- Volunteers of America
- YFA Connections
YOUTH WE SERVE
Our Spokane County office served a total of 159 youth in 2016. Here are snapshots of our client demographics.
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American or Other African
Hispanic or Latino
Multiracial
Native American or Alaskan Native
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Uknown
White or Caucasian
Age at Intake
10 to 12
13 to 14
15 to 17
18 and up
Gender
Female
Male
Transgender
