The Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA) is an independent state judicial branch agency that, among other things, administers and oversees the state’s programs for appointed counsel to represent children and youth in dependency cases. OCLA’s Children’s Representation Program (CRP) underwrites and oversees the delivery of standards-based, effective, equity-informed, and culturally competent attorney representation for children and youth for whom attorneys are appointed under state law in a manner that improves permanency and wellbeing outcomes for these children and youth consistent with their stated and legal interests.

OCLA is looking for an exceptional individual with a passion for equity and justice for children and youth involved in the child welfare system. The CRP Training Coordinator will be responsible for developing and delivering a core training curriculum for CRP contracted attorneys. As outlined in RCW 13.34.212(3)(e):

The statewide children’s legal representation program is responsible for the recruitment, training, and oversight of attorneys providing standards-based representation pursuant to (a) and (c) of this subsection as provided in RCW 2.53.045 and shall ensure that attorneys representing children pursuant to this section provide legal services according to the rules of professional conduct, the standards of practice, caseload limits, and training guidelines adopted by the children’s representation work group established in section 9, chapter 210, Laws of 2021.

Consistent with this legislative directive, the CRP training curriculum will be grounded in revised standards for representation and training developed by the Standards Work Group established pursuant to section 9, chapter 210, laws of 210 and adopted by the Supreme Court’s Commission on Children in Foster Care, and will be designed to ensure the highest quality of child-directed, race equity informed, trauma informed and culturally competent representation of children and youth for whom a right to appointed counsel attaches. An important component of this work involves collaborating with stakeholders to ensure that the interests of young people and the efforts to address disproportionality in the child welfare system are prioritized.

OCLA’s CRP Program is committed to helping foster fundamental change to Washington State’s child welfare and juvenile court practices that have historically and continue to cause disproportionate harms to children and youth of color, who have a range of learning and related disabilities, who are victims of multiple and compounding traumas, and who have never had a legal voice in the process.

For more information, including how to apply, click here: OCLA – Training Coordinator