Kitsap Superior Court Local Rules

KCLFLR 10 MANDATORY PARENTING SEMINAR

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(a) Scope

This rule applies to all cases filed under Ch. 26.09, or Ch. 26.26 of the RCW (except those cases brought on behalf of the State of Washington by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Child Support Office) filed after January 1, 2005, which require a parenting plan for minor children, including dissolutions, legal separations, and parentage actions.
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(b) Definitions.

(1) Parenting Seminar. Parenting seminar or seminar shall mean a seminar presented
by an authorized provider as set forth in section (h) below, with content that meets
the requirements specified in section (i) below.
(2) Parent Education Committee. The Parent Education Committee or Committee shall mean the standing committee of the Kitsap County Superior Court as provided in LCR 1(c)(5).

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(c) Parenting Seminars; Mandatory Attendance.

In all cases referred to in Section (a)
above, and in those additional cases arising under Title 26 RCW where the Court makes a discretionary finding that a parenting seminar would be in the best interest of the children, both parents, and such other parties as the Court may direct, shall participate in, and successfully complete, an approved parenting seminar within 90 days after service of a petition on the responding parent.

Successful completion shall be evidenced by a certificate of attendance filed with the Court by the provider agency.

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(d) Special Considerations, Waiver.

(1) Joint Participation Not Required. In no case shall parents be required to attend a
seminar together.
(2) Grounds for Waiver or Alternative. Upon a showing of any of the following, the
Court shall either waive the requirement of completion of the seminar or provide an
alternative to the seminar:
(A) Domestic violence, abuse, or safety concerns;
(B) Allegations of any conduct set fort at RCW 26.09.191; or
(C) Any other reason why a parent’s attendance at a seminar is not in the
children’s best interest.
(3) Waiver. The Court may waive the seminar requirement for one or both parents in
any case for good cause shown, including but not limited to default situations.

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(e) Failure to Comply

Delay, refusal or default by one parent does not excuse timely compliance by the other parent. Unless attendance at the seminar is waived, a parent who delays beyond the 90 day deadline, or who otherwise fails or refuses to complete the
parenting seminar, shall be precluded from presenting any final order affecting the
parenting/residential plan in this action, until the seminar has been successfully completed.

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(f) Finalizing Parenting Plans.

All parents are required to attach to their proposed final parenting plan a true and accurate signed and dated copy of the certificate of completion of the seminar. ​​

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(g) Fee

Each parent attending a seminar shall pay a fee charged by the provider and sanctioned by the Court. The Court may waive the fee for indigent parents.

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(h) Authorized Providers.

(1) Certified Providers. The Kitsap County Court Administrator shall maintain a list of seminar providers who have filed a statement of compliance with the Parent Education Committee. The statement of compliance shall certify that the content of seminars offered by the provider meet the requirements set forth in section (i) below. If a provider’s qualifications are challenged, the provider shall be notified by the Committee of the process to resolve any questions regarding the provider’s future approval. The provider will then have an opportunity to respond to any challenges to its qualifications.

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(2) Equivalent Providers May be Used. Parents may use equivalent services offered by private agencies or religious organizations, upon approval of the judge or commissioner in the individual case. When the Court authorized the use of providers or religious organizations which have not previously been accepted by the Committee as a certified provider of parenting seminars, the Court may modify or waive the qualifications for the instructors, as listed as section (j) below, upon a showing of functional equivalency

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(i) Seminar Content.

The seminar content shall include, at a minimum:

• The developmental stages of childhood;

• Stress indicators in children;

• Age appropriate expectations of children; • The impact of divorce on children;

• The grief process;

• Reducing stress for children through an amicable divorce;

• The long term impact of parental conflict on children;

• The importance of child’s relationships with both parents; fostering those relationships;

• Communication skills for divorced parents;

• Minimization of conflict;

• Practical skills for working together;

• The impact on children when stepparents and blended families enter their lives;

• Parenting children with limited time; and Involvement of extended family

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(j) Qualifications of Instructors.

Parenting seminars shall be taught by a team of not less than two instructors, including one male and one female.​(k) Referrals for Other Services.

During the seminar, referral resources will be made available to the parents and their children, including individual and family counseling, drug/alcohol counseling, anger management counseling, parenting classes, etc. These services are optional, and the parents must seek their own funding resources

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Source: KITSAP SUPERIOR COURT LOCAL RULES

effective September 1, 2023

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