Advokids: Information for Any Interested Party

• You can be heard and get before a judge even when you are not a party and do not qualify for de facto status. Any parent, sibling, or other person having an interest in a child who is a dependent child of the juvenile court may file. Filing a Petition for Modification under Welfare & Instutions code §388 is appropriate when:

1. An immediate hearing is required
2. Circumstances have changed or there is new evidence
3. It is in the child’s best interests to modify a previous order
4. You seek visits, placement, or contact with a dependent sibling in foster care, or on behalf of a child who has a sibling in foster care
   (See Welfare and Institutions Code §388 below)



In order to apply for a Petition of Modification, you must complete and file the JV 180 Request to Change Court Order.

Forms and Supporting Documentation

1. Welfare and Institutions Code Section §388
2. Petition for Modification general information
3. JV 180 Request To Change Court Order form
4. JV 180 guidelines and instructions
5. JV 180 sample filled-out form
6. Filing and Serving of JV 180 Request to Change Court Order Instructions



Sample Cover Letters

1. Sample Clerk Cover Letter
2. Sample Judge Cover Letter



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