Community Inclusion & Services
Carina Tong
Director of Community Inclusion & Services
Carina Tong is the Director of the Community Inclusion and Services Team at Disability Rights Washington. She previously worked as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society in New York and King County Department of Public Defense in Seattle. She spent her last years as a public defender at the Regional Mental Health Court and Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative program, advocating for those in the criminal system to be diverted into community programs. Carina is also a qualified lawyer in England and has gained work experience in different countries including the Netherlands, Tanzania and Switzerland.
Carina’s current cases include DS v. DCYF where DRW sued DCYF on behalf of children under the age of 18 with behavioral health and developmental disabilities, “essentially rendering them homeless for extended periods of time” where they experienced no placement stability and were placed in hotels and DCYF offices. The D.S. Settlement Agreement, which was approved by the Federal Court in September 2022, requires DCYF to implement new statewide models for supporting youth in foster care. Eight System Improvements are identified in the Settlement Agreement including the Emerging Adulthood Housing Program, Professional Therapeutic Foster Care, Statewide Hub Home Model Program, Kinship Engagement Unit, Qualified Residential Treatment programs, Family Group Planning, Reviewing Licensing Standards, and Referrals and Transitions. Carina looks forward to working on more cases that create system change for the most underserved and vulnerable populations.