Washington law allows a non-parent to seek custody of a child under limited circumstances.  RCW 26.____.  The parents’ right to custody and control of their own children is constitutionally guaranteed, but not an absolute right.  The state court may intervene and place the child with a non-parent seeking custody if the judge finds that the child would suffer actual detriment by being returned to live with a parent.  The most common “non-parental custody” case is initiated by the grandparents or other care-giving adults who have been providing the child with primary care for some time before seeking a custody order because the parent(s) have abandoned or are not capable of providing adequate care for the child.

Seattle Family Law
108 S. Washington St.
Suite 304,
Seattle, WA 98104

phone: 206 340-1580
fax: 206 888-2592

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Seattle Family Law handles divorce and family law for people in the Seattle and Puget Sound areas of Washington State, including Bellevue, Renton, Kent, Tacoma, Everett, Edmonds, Kirkland, Federal Way, Issaquah, Lynwood, Shoreline, Auburn and other communities in King County, Snohomish County, and Pierce County.

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