HB 1988-S - DIGEST
(DIGEST AS ENACTED)

Authorizes a vulnerable youth to petition the court to have a vulnerable youth guardianship established for him or her by filing a petition in juvenile court.

Gives jurisdiction to the juvenile division of superior courts to appoint a guardian for a consenting vulnerable youth who has been abandoned, neglected, or abused by one or both parents, or for whom the court determines that a guardian is otherwise necessary as one or both parents cannot adequately provide for the youth such that the youth risks physical or psychological harm if returned to the youth's home.

Requires the Washington state task force against the trafficking of persons to: (1) Evaluate whether vulnerable youth guardianships have the unintended impact of placing youth at greater risk of being trafficked; and

(2) Compile a list of service providers and available resources for survivors of human trafficking that a court issuing a vulnerable youth guardianship order can provide to a vulnerable youth applying for a guardian.