Benchcards
ABA Child Safety
The ABA Child Safety Benchcards are a set of practical, courtroom‑focused tools developed by the American Bar Association to help judges assess child safety in dependency cases. They provide clear guidance, key questions, and decision‑making frameworks for hearings involving removal, placement, in‑home safety planning, and ongoing case review. The benchcards are designed to support consistent, legally sound, and child‑centered safety determinations across all stages of a case.
C.A.R.E. Checklist for Dependency Court Judicial Officers
This checklist provides grief-informed and trauma-informed considerations to help judicial officers reduce the ambiguity, loss, and trauma children experience when entering and moving through foster care. Three versions of the checklist are available.
Child & Youth Trafficking in Dependency Cases
The Child and Youth Trafficking in Dependency Cases Benchcard Series provides judges and court professionals with practical guidance for identifying, responding to, and supporting children and youth who may be at risk of or experiencing trafficking within dependency cases. Each benchcard offers key indicators, critical questions to ask in court, and recommended actions to ensure safety, stabilize placements, connect youth with appropriate services, and promote trauma‑informed decision‑making throughout the life of a case.
Hope Focused Benchcard
Hope-Focused Bench Card offers judges and court professionals practical, trauma‑informed strategies to promote hope, resilience, and positive future orientation for children, youth, and families involved in dependency proceedings. It provides key prompts, considerations, and questions designed to strengthen engagement, support healing, and reinforce protective factors throughout court interactions and decision-making.
Mental Health Symptoms in Dependency Cases
The Mental Health Symptoms in Dependency Cases benchcard provides judges and court professionals with practical guidance for recognizing and responding to mental health symptoms that may affect families involved in dependency proceedings. It highlights common indicators, outlines potential impacts to parenting, and provides engagement strategies.
Questions from the Bench
Developed by Kitsap County as a part of their Safety Summit Project, these four questions are designed to help increase conversations in the courtroom in ways that support the reunification process for families.
Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) Classification
The Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) Classification Benchcard provides judges and court professionals with clear guidance on the findings and procedures required to support SIJ classification for eligible children and youth involved in dependency proceedings. It outlines the statutory criteria, key questions for the court, and best‑practice considerations to ensure accurate, timely, and trauma‑informed judicial determinations that can help stabilize immigration status and promote long‑term safety and permanency.
Title 13 Guardianship
The Title 13 Guardianship Tipsheets provide practical guidance for judges, attorneys, and child welfare professionals on implementing guardianships under Washington State’s Title 13. These resources outline key legal requirements, essential court findings, and best‑practice considerations to support informed, child‑centered decision‑making. The tipsheets help practitioners navigate eligibility, permanency planning, caregiver responsibilities, and post‑guardianship expectations to ensure stability and long‑term well‑being for children and youth.
Walk-Away Information Forms
These fillable forms are designed to provide parents with clear, accessible information following a shelter care hearing.
