Episode 01
The Call
Follow three fictionalized families through reporting, screening and first contact, and explore the difference between an agency report, a finding and a court order.
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The Dependency Decoded Podcast · Washington edition
Season Two
Follow fictionalized families through Washington’s dependency system, from the first call to the bigger picture. All 26 episodes are available on YouTube.
Visit our YouTube channelSeason Two episodes
Start with The Call and follow the season in order, or choose an episode below.
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Episode 02
Welcome to the System
An introduction to Washington’s dependency framework, the people involved, and the hearings and standards of proof that shape a case.
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Episode 03
72 Hours
Explore the urgent decisions after a child’s removal, including emergency custody, shelter care, counsel, family contact and Indian child welfare protections.
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Episode 04
The Petition
Learn what a dependency petition alleges, how filing and notice work, and why tracing a claim back to its source matters.
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Episode 05
Your Lawyer, Your Lifeline
Explore what parents can expect from their lawyer, including communication, investigation, confidentiality and practical responses when representation is not working.
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Episode 06
The First Hearing
Examine the first shelter care hearing, from notice and participation to return-home decisions, relative placement and family contact.
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Episode 07
The Players
Meet the people involved in a dependency case and understand their roles, responsibilities and sources of information.
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Episode 08
The Rules of the Game
Explore how federal funding rules and Washington law interact, including services, reasonable efforts, permanency timelines and constitutional protections.
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Episode 09
What Makes a Child Dependent?
Examine Washington’s grounds for dependency and the distinct questions of dependency, removal, placement and termination.
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Episode 10
Who Speaks for the Kids?
Understand the different roles of children’s lawyers and guardians ad litem, including confidentiality, siblings and ways to raise concerns.
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Episode 11
Preparing for Battle
Prepare for fact-finding by examining discovery, missing or inconsistent records, witnesses, experts and the consequences of agreed dependency orders.
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Episode 12
Trial Day
Follow a fact-finding hearing through witnesses, records, experts, agreements and disputed findings, while keeping separate legal decisions distinct.
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Episode 13
Now What?
Explore how a disposition hearing shapes placement, family time, services and review deadlines after a dependency finding.
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Episode 14
The Plan
Examine what makes a service plan useful and accessible, including individualized services, practical barriers and separate plans for each parent.
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Episode 15
The Visit
Explore family time in practice: scheduling, transportation, supervision, siblings, cancellations, visit notes and court review.
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Episode 16
Sovereignty and Family
Examine tribal sovereignty and Indian child welfare protections, including inquiry, notice, jurisdiction, active efforts and placement preferences.
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Episode 17
The DV Trap
Explore domestic violence, coercive control and individualized safety planning, with attention to each parent’s rights, services and privacy.
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Episode 18
The Report Card
Examine review hearings that consider both family progress and agency work, including service access, family time and return-home decisions.
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Episode 19
More Than a Case Number
Look beyond the court file to children’s education, relationships and identities, including school stability, special education, privacy and placement needs.
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Episode 20
The Clock Is Ticking
Explore permanency planning, hearing deadlines, concurrent plans and the separate decisions to return a child home and dismiss a dependency.
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Episode 21
Fifteen of Twenty-Two
Examine the fifteen-of-twenty-two-month filing rule, counting rules, exceptions and necessary services, and why filing is different from termination.
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Episode 22
What Comes After
Compare return home, guardianship and adoption, including assistance programs, open adoption and the practical limits of each pathway.
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Episode 23
End of the Road — Part 1
Examine termination of parental rights, including services, current unfitness, best interests, Indian child safeguards and preparation with counsel.
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Episode 24
End of the Road — Part 2
Explore the different routes to ending a dependency, including parenting plans, guardianship, dismissal, termination proceedings and appeals.
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Episode 25
Second Chances
Examine reinstatement of parental rights, extended foster care and reentry, along with housing and education support and their eligibility rules.
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Episode 26
The Bigger Picture
Close the season with a wider look at evidence, family support, poverty, racial patterns, tribal authority, representation and accountability.
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All stories are fictionalized and are not intended to portray an actual case. General educational information, not legal advice.