Adam M and his wife as Adam was introduced last night at the Changes Gala Auction. Adam, this years's Honoree works as a liaison at King County Juvenile Court, specifically with the At Risk Youth (ARY) court.
The At Risk Youth Petition is a civil action that parents can file in regards to their child under 18 seeking the court's help as their child is outside of the parent's control. Very specific criteria must be met including
a. away without petition for over 72 hours
b. danger to him/herself or others
c. substance use with no charge pending.
The Commissioner sets conditions (such as school attendance, curfew) and if the child does not meet those conditions, the Commissioner can set consequences. The efficacy of the ARY petition depends heavily on the behavior of the Commissioners.
When parent have questions, file an ARY petition or have to appear in court, Adam is the one to talk to. Whenever we need guidance on the ARY process, generally or in a particular situation the advice is "Talk to Adam". You can always count on Adam to give you good advice. We recognize that Adam cannot give legal advice nor can he control the Commissioner's decision (wacky as they sometimes are). But you can get the straight scoop from Adam. He's a parent himself and very familiar with these family's struggles. He works so well with families and the teenagers.
He gave a short talk, he used the familiar line that children do not come with users manuals. But, he said, you who are active in the Changes Group, you are the manual, you are the people that parents can turn to, you have the information and the experience.
In King County, we consider ourselves so lucky to have a professional like Adam as part of the juvenile court.
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