Rule 3.11. Guardianship in Juvenile Court

JuCR 3.11 GUARDIANSHIP IN JUVENILE COURT (a) Petition for Guardianship for Dependent Child. Any party to a dependency proceeding, including the supervising agency, may file a petition requesting that a guardianship be created for a dependent child. The court may, on its own motion, order the supervising agency to file such a petition. (b) Scheduling and Notice. A guardianship hearing may be held in connection with a review hearing under rule 3.9, or it may be otherwise regularly scheduled. Notice of the time and place of the guardianship hearing may be given in open court. If notice is not given to a party in open court, the party shall be given notice in accordance with rule 11.2. Notice must be given to the Department of Social and Health Services, and the Department may intervene in the proceedings. (c) Procedure; Evidence; Burden of Proof. The court shall hold a hearing on the petition in accordance with RCW 13.34.231. The Rules of Evidence apply, and the burden of proof is by a preponderance of the evidence.