Voluntary Placement Agreement (VPA) Hotline

VPA Hotline (833) 240-9746

 

On January 1, 2024, the Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD) Parents Representation Program launched the Voluntary Placement Agreement (VPA) Attorney Hotline!  The VPA Attorney Hotline allows parents, guardians, and legal custodians (“parents”) who are being offered VPAs by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to have the opportunity to receive legal advice and consultation from an attorney when making decisions around voluntary placement agreements.  Below, here are some Frequently Asked Questions about the new VPA Attorney Hotline!

  • What is the VPA Attorney Hotline?  The VPA Attorney Hotline is a legal consultation telephone hotline.  Through the VPA Attorney Hotline, parents will be offered the opportunity to receive advice and consultation from an attorney when a VPA is proposed by DCYF.
  • Who can contact the VPA Attorney Hotline?  Any parent, guardian, or legal custodian may contact the VPA attorney hotline when the Department proposes a VPA and there is no pending dependency case. 
  • How does a parent get hold of the VPA Attorney Hotline?  The telephone number is (833) 240-9746.
  • When is the VPA Attorney Hotline available?  The VPA Hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 
  • How will a parent be notified of the VPA Attorney Hotline?  Notification may happen in one of several ways:
    • The Department has expressed that it will provide verbal notification of the hotline to parents when a VPA is offered.
    • OPD is also providing posters to the Department to hang in its offices, and cards to hand out to parents, and the Department has agreed to utilize these written materials to notify parents of the VPA hotline prior to asking parents to sign a VPA.
    • Community organizations, service providers, and other stakeholders have been collaborating in getting the word out about the VPA hotline. 
    • If you are a stakeholder, community member, service provider, or other interested person who would like written materials about the VPA Attorney Hotline, please contact OPD at any time! 
  • What if more than one parent needs to speak to an attorney at a time?  The VPA Attorney Hotline is staffed with multiple attorneys at a time to address conflicts and cases with multiple parents needing legal advice or consultation. 
  • Does the VPA Hotline serve parents who do not speak English?  The attorneys who staff the VPA Attorney Hotline have access to telephone interpreter services. 
  • What if I have questions about the VPA Attorney Hotline?  If you have questions about the VPA Attorney Hotline, contact OPD Managing Attorney Marci Comeau at (360) 485-7484 or marci.comeau@opd.wa.gov.