Legal Question in Family Law in Washington

Custody

My 2-yr old nephew has been living with me since June. Both of his parents are into Meth and haven't made an attempting to clean up or to get him back. I tried contacting CPS of the situation, but they told me that it is not a CPS matter and said that I need to contact the courthouse in my area to get third-party custody. So my question is what are the requirements and what are the next steps that I need to take? And what if the parents are willing?


Asked on 8/23/08, 7:22 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Christopher Steuart IT Forensics, Inc.

Re: Custody

3d Party (non-parental custody) is a process that you file a petition and summons for, and serve the parents. You should probably retain counsel to assist you with this matter. If the parents are agreeable you may find it easier to effect, but you may still want to retain counsel. I have found many family law matters done pro se cost more to fix after the fact than to do right the first time, and an attorney can tune the language to fit the situation, whereas the forms have stock language that may not reflect the situation or desired outcome precisely.

Read more
Answered on 8/23/08, 9:57 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Family Law, Divorce, Child Custody and Adoption questions and answers in Washington