74.34.115 - Protection of vulnerable adults -- Administrative office of the courts -- Standard petition -- Order for protection -- Standard notice -- Court staff handbook.

Protection of vulnerable adults — Administrative office of the courts — Standard petition — Order for protection — Standard notice — Court staff handbook.

(1) The administrative office of the courts shall develop and prepare standard petition, temporary order for protection, and permanent order for protection forms, a standard notice form to provide notice to the vulnerable adult if the vulnerable adult is not the petitioner, instructions, and a court staff handbook on the protection order process. The standard petition and order for protection forms must be used after October 1, 2007, for all petitions filed and orders issued under this chapter. The administrative office of the courts, in preparing the instructions, forms, notice, and handbook, may consult with attorneys from the elder law section of the Washington state bar association, judges, the department, the Washington protection and advocacy system, and law enforcement personnel.

     (a) The instructions shall be designed to assist petitioners in completing the petition, and shall include a sample of the standard petition and order for protection forms.

     (b) The order for protection form shall include, in a conspicuous location, notice of criminal penalties resulting from violation of the order.

     (c) The standard notice form shall be designed to explain to the vulnerable adult in clear, plain language the purpose and nature of the petition and that the vulnerable adult has the right to participate in the hearing and to either support or object to the petition.

     (2) The administrative office of the courts shall distribute a master copy of the standard forms, instructions, and court staff handbook to all court clerks and shall distribute a master copy of the standard forms to all superior, district, and municipal courts.

     (3) The administrative office of the courts shall determine the significant non-English-speaking or limited-English-speaking populations in the state. The administrator shall then arrange for translation of the instructions required by this section, which shall contain a sample of the standard forms, into the languages spoken by those significant non-English-speaking populations, and shall distribute a master copy of the translated instructions to all court clerks by December 31, 2007.

     (4) The administrative office of the courts shall update the instructions, standard forms, and court staff handbook when changes in the law make an update necessary. The updates may be made in consultation with the persons and entities specified in subsection (1) of this section.

     (5) For purposes of this section, "court clerks" means court administrators in courts of limited jurisdiction and elected court clerks.

[2007 c 312 § 4.]