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Legislative Reports

Adoption/Foster Care

Adoption and Foster Care
Adoptive and Foster Home Placements
Success in meeting the need for adoptive and foster home placements, reducing the foster parent turnover rate, completing home studies for legally free children, and implementing and operating the passport program.

Authorization: RCW 74.13.031(2)
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
 
Coordinated Services and Education Planning
Requires the working group to develop a plan for addressing educational stability and continuity for school-age children who enter into short term foster care.

Authorization: Chapter 326, Laws of 2002, Section 1(2)(a)(iii)
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
 
Efforts to Contain Per Capita Cost of Adoption Support and Foster Care Services

Within amounts provided for the foster care and adoption support programs, the department shall control reimbursement decisions for foster care and adoption support cases such that the aggregate average cost per case for foster care and for adoption support does not exceed the amounts assumed in the projected caseload expenditures. The department shall adjust adoption support benefits to account for the availability of the new federal adoption support tax credit for special needs children.

Authorization: Chapter 518, Laws of 2005, Section 202(6)
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
 
Family Visitation for Dependent Children
The 2004 legislature passed SB6643a stating visitation is a right of the family. The Children's Administration (CA) was required to develop consistent policies and protocols, based on current relevant research, concerning visitation for dependent children to be implemented consistently throughout the state. CA was to work with researchers, stakeholders, union representatives and staff to develop appropriate protocols for visitation consistent with the Act.

Authorization: Chapter 146, Laws of 2004
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
 
Fees as a Barrier to Adoption from Foster Care
In 2006, the Legislature passed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6635 (ESSB 6635) requiring a review and recommendation on adoption fees and other barriers to adoption from the foster care system, as well as accreditation standards for adoption.

Authorization: Chapter 248, Laws 2006, Section 2
Type of Report: One time
Report Date:
 
Foster Care Accreditation
Requires the department, in conjunction with a national independent accreditation entity, to report to the appropriate legislative committees its progress towards complete accreditation on an annual basis, starting December 2001.

Authorization: RCW 74.13.017
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
 
Foster Care Program Federal Earnings Report
Requires the department to submit a plan to the Office of Financial Management to achieve a higher rate of federal earnings in the foster care program. Requires the department to submit the plan to the fiscal committees of the legislature and shall indicate projected federal revenue compared to actual fiscal year 2001 levels.

Authorization: Chapter 7, Laws of 2001, Second Extraordinary Special Session, Section 202(8), Uncodified
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
 
Foster Care Assessment (Child Health & Education Track)

This report will provide information on how the department has implemented practice and procedures to screen eligible children to assure early permanency planning.

Authorization: RCW 74.14A.050
Type of Report: Semi-Annual
Report Date:
 
Foster Care Health Unit

Directs the Department of Social and Health Services to establish a Foster Care Health Unit within the Children's Administration in order to provide better coordination between the Children’s Administration and the Health and Recovery Services Administration.

Authorization: Chapter 74, Laws of 2006, Section 13
Type of Report: One time
Report Date:
 
Foster Parent Critical Support and Retention Program - Investigations of Child Abuse and Neglect

In 2006, the Legislature passed Second Substitute House Bill (2SHB) 3115, which establishes a foster parent critical support and retention program. This bill also included, in Section 4, a requirement that the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) prepare and provide a report to the legislature regarding the department’s policies and practices related to referrals, investigations, and records of child abuse and neglect allegations and any recommendations for improvement.

Authorization: Chapter 353, Laws 2006, Section4
Type of Report: One Time
Report Date:
 
Foster Parent Retention and Stability of Foster Placement Progress Report
Requires the department to report quarterly to the appropriate committees of the legislature progress against appropriate baseline measures for foster parent retention and stability of foster placements.

Authorization: Chapter 7, Laws of 2001, Second Extraordinary Special Session, Section 202(6), Uncodified
Type of Report: Quarterly
Report Date:
 
Intensive Family Preservation Services
Data regarding the rates at which intensive family preservation services prevent out-of-home placements over varying periods of time.

Authorization: RCW 74.14C.080
Type of Report: Every 2 years
Report Date:
September 2001 (PDF)
September 2003 (omitted during 03-05 biennium)
September 2007 (PDF)
Kinship Care Oversight
The Kinship Care Oversight Committee worked in collaboration with Children's Administration (CA), Economic Services Administration (ESA) and Aging and Disability Services Administration (ADSA) to improve efforts to identify kinship care providers and to improve service delivery and practice for kinship care givers.

Authorization: Chapter 284, Laws of 2003, RCW 74.13.620
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
Transfer of Funds from Foster Care Services to Family Preservation Services
Caseload, expenditure, cost avoidance, identified improvements to the out-of-home care system, and outcome data; percent of cases when a child is placed in out-of-home care after the provisions of services; average length of time before a child is placed; number of families that refused the offer of services.

Authorization: RCW 74.14C.070
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
December 2004. This transfer of funding did not occur. Therefore, no report was submitted.
December 2005. No transfer occurred
December 2006 - Transfer of funding did not occur therefore, no report was submitted.
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Children, Infants & Youth

Feasibility & Need for Creating Tiered Classifications for Foster Parent Licensing
Requires the department and the University of Washington to jointly facilitate a workgroup to study the need for and the feasibility of creating a tiered classifications for foster parent licensing, including a professional foster parent classification and to report on the recommendations of the workgroup.

Authorization: Chapter 413, Laws of 2007
Type of Report: One Time
Report Date:
January 2008 (PDF)
 
Intensive Resource Home Pilot
In 2007, HB 1624 required the department to complete a feasibility study regarding special foster parent resource homes. A committee was formed, met, developed and agreed upon foster parent requirements, youth criteria and model design. This committee made recommendations to the legislature, resulting in E2SHB 3145, which was codified RCW 74.13.800. RCW 74.13.800 required the department to implement an Intensive Resource Home pilot and report to the legislature.

Authorization: RCW 74.13.800
Type of Report: One Time
Report Date:
March 2009 (PDF)
 
Racial Disproportionality in Washington State
The department is required to report annually on the implementation of the remediation plan, including any measurable progress made toward reducing and eliminating racial disproportionality and disparity in the state's child welfare system. 

Authorization:     Chapter 465, Laws of 2007 (SHB 1472)
Type of Report:  Annual

Report Date:       January 2010 (PDF)
                            January 2011 (PDF)
                            March 2012 (PDF)

Child Abuse
 
Child Fatality

Requires the department to report annually to the appropriate committees of the legislature. Passed during the 2004 Legislative Session, HB 2984 (RCW 74.13.640) requires the department to report on each child fatality review conducted by the department and provide a copy to the appropriate committees of the legislature.

Authorization: RCW 74.13.640
Type of Report: Quarterly
Report Date:
 
Establishment of Secure Crisis Residential Centers
Evaluation and comparison of information required to be compiled in this section for the secure and semi-secure facilities of crisis residential centers including plans to establish secure facilities as funds are appropriated.

Authorization: RCW 74.13.036
Type of Report: Multiple
Report Date:
June 2002 (PDF)
 
Risk Assessment Report
Report on the effectiveness of the risk assessment process in child abuse/neglect referral investigations.

Authorization: RCW 26.44.030(13)
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:

Annual Quality Assurance Report

The Department is required to prepare an annual quality assurance report that includes
but is not limited to performance outcomes regarding health and safety of children in the
children's services system, children's length of stay in out-of-home placement from each
date of referral, adherence to permanency planning timelines and the response time on
child protective services investigations differentiated by risk level determined at intake.

Authorization:     RCW 43.20A.870 & RCW 74.13.03(S)
Type of Report:  Annual

Report Date:       December 2009 (PDF)
                             December 2010 (PDF)
                            December 2011 (PDF)


Child Welfare Reinvestment Methodology

The department, in collaboration with OFM and the Caseload Forecast Council, were
required to develop a methodology for calculating the savings under section 2(3)(a).  The
methodolgy must be used for the 2013-2015 fiscal biennium and for each biennium thereafter.

Authorization:      Chapter 204, Laws of 2012, Section 2(3)(a)
Type of Report:   One-time

Report Date:        December 2012

Child Support

Requires the department and the University of Washington to jointly facilitate a workgroup to study the need for and the feasibility of creating a tiered classifications for foster parent licensing, including a professional foster parent classification and to report on the recommendations of the workgroup.

Authorization: Chapter 413, Laws of 2007
Type of Report: One Time
Report Date:
January 2008 (PDF)
 
Intensive Resource Home Pilot
In 2007, HB 1624 required the department to complete a feasibility study regarding special foster parent resource homes. A committee was formed, met, developed and agreed upon foster parent requirements, youth criteria and model design. This committee made recommendations to the legislature, resulting in E2SHB 3145, which was codified RCW 74.13.800. RCW 74.13.800 required the department to implement an Intensive Resource Home pilot and report to the legislature.

Authorization: RCW 74.13.800
Type of Report: One Time
Report Date:
March 2009 (PDF)
 

 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Health and Safety

Blended Funding Project
Requires the department to report annually to the legislature on the progress in blending funds to provide enhanced services to children and their families with multiple needs. Blended funding involves the co-mingling funds of funds into a single pool from which services can be funded. This report addresses the formal blended funding project for children and families that DSHS has undertaken, as well as other innovative funding approaches to support collaborative service delivery.

Authorization: Chapter 219, Laws of 2000, Section 2 RCW 74.14.A.060
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
Children's Collaboration Proviso
This proviso required Children's Administration to improve our relations with community providers. We have viewed this directive to work with providers to develop policies and protocols for collaboration as a positive opportunity

Authorization:Chapter 276, Laws of 2004
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
 
June 2006 (PDF)
   
Child Protective Services - Staff Safety
Requires the department to develop policies and protocols to address the safety of child protective services (CPS) and child welfare services (CWS) staff.

Authorization: Chapter 518, Laws of 2005, Section 2(4)
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
 
Child Protective Services - Staff Safety Status on Implementation

In April 2005, House Bill 2189 passed in response to this tragedy, requiring DSHS to convene a work group to: develop policies and protocols to address the safety of CA employees and to make recommendations regarding training for staff in the areas of recognizing volatile, hostile or threatening situations; de-escalation and preventative safety measures. The work group reviewed relevant information related to worker safety, was briefed on the work of the CA Critical Incident Response and Support Task Force, identified missing elements and made recommendations to CA regarding worker safety.

The following is the Children’s Administration status update on implementation of recommendations in the “CPS - Staff Safety Report”:

Authorization: Chapter 95, Laws of 2006
Type of Report: One time
Report Date:
   
Children's Administration Performance Report
The department shall prepare an annual quality assurance report that shall include but is not limited to: (1) Performance outcomes regarding health and safety of children in the children's services system; (2) children's length of stay in out-of-home placement from each date of referral; (3) adherence to permanency planning timelines; and (4) the response time on child protective services investigations differentiated by risk level determined at intake.

Authorization: RCW 43.20A.870 and 74.13.031(5)
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
 
Children of Incarcerated Parents
Requires the Departments of Corrections and Social and Health Services to co-lead a collaborative interagency exploration of the needs of children whose parents are incarcerated in this state.

Authorization: Chapter 403, Laws of 2005, Section 2
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
January 2006 (PDF)
June 2006 (PDF) Final report
Criminal Mistreatment Implementation Plan
A plan for improved coordination of services to families when a member of the family is charged with criminal mistreatment.

Authorization: Chapter 219, Laws of 2002, Section 15
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
Consideration of a Differential Response in Washington State's Child Protective System

The Children’s Administration was asked to review and provide information to the Legislature concerning the implementation of a differential (also called alternative) response to child protective service (CPS) investigations in Washington State. The purpose of this interim report is to: Provide an overview of how differential response systems are implemented in other states. Describe what we have learned from outcome reviews of other states’ differential response systems. List policy issues that will require further stakeholder discussion. Identify issues specific to Washington. Describe pros and cons of implementing a differential response system in Washington at this time and discuss next steps.

Authorization: Chapter 372, Laws of 2006, Section 202(18)
Type of Report: Interim
Report Date:
 
Decline of Youth in Police Custody
Number of times the department has declined to accept the custody of a child from a law enforcement agency under Chapter 13.32A RCW and number of times it has received a report of a child being released without placement under RCW 13.32A.060(1) (report to include dates, places and reasons for declining to acceptance of custody and dates and places children are released without placement).

Authorization: RCW 74.13.036(5)
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
December 2002 (PDF)
2003 No reported declines of custody; no report required.
2004 No reported declines of custody; no report required.
2006 No reported declines of custody; no report required.
December 2007 (PDF)
December 2008 (PDF)
 
Medical Treatment Child Care (MTCC)
Requires the department to report to the legislature on the number of referrals referred to the MTCC program by local public health nurses and case workers from the temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) program, as long as the children meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the Washington State plan for the MTCC program. This information is to include the number of referrals, the number of authorized referrals and child enrollment and program expenditure levels.

Authorization: Chapter 372, Section 202(19) Laws of 2006
Type of Report: Quarterly
Report Date:
 
Older Children who are Victims of Abuse or Neglect
Requires the department to report to the legislature on 2 1/2 percent of all screening decisions regularly reviewed by the department that are related to children between the ages of eleven and eighteen.

Authorization: Chapter 345, Laws of 2005, Section 2
Type of Report: Annual
Report Date:
Safety of Newborn Children
A report and recommendation on the implementation of the act.

Authorization: RCW 13.34.360
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
Implementation of Enhancement Program

Requires the department to report annually to the legislature each year on the implementation status of the enhancements contained in the 2005-07 biennium budget, including the hiring of new staff, and the outcomes of the reform efforts. The information to be provided includes a progress report on items in the child and family services program improvement plan and areas identified for improvement in the Braam lawsuit settlement. Also, the Department is to report on the number, type, and outcomes of evidence based programs being implemented.

Authorization: Chapter 518, Laws of 2005, Section 202(7)
Type of Report: Annually
Report Date:

December 2005 (PDF) revised 2/23/06
December 2006 (PDF)
 
Response to At Risk Youth Study

Requires the department, to look at child welfare programs and expenditures covered by this response and those programs either mentioned in the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) report "Benefits and Costs of Prevention and Early Intervention Programs for Youth" published in September 2004 or that Children's Administration currently uses with at risk youth. This took place in November 2005.

Authorization: By JLARC, Report 05-18
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:

August 2007 (PDF)
 
2001-2003 Staff Redeployment Report
Requires the department to use some of the funds provided in several local offices to increase staff that support case-carrying social workers in ways that will allow social workers to increase direct contact time with children, families and foster parents.

Requires the department, to achieve the goal of reaching an average caseload ratio of 1:24 by the end of fiscal year 2003, to develop a plan for redeploying 30 FTEs to case-carrying social worker and support positions from other areas in the children and family services budget.

Requires the department to submit the FTE redeployment plan to the fiscal committees of the legislature by December 1, 2001

Authorization: Chapter 7, Laws of 2001, Section 202(4), Uncodified
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
 
Social Worker Workload
Requires the department and the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) to work together to address workload issues.

Authorization: ESHB 2687, Chapter 329, Laws of 2008
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
July 2008 (PDF)
November 2008 - Final Report - (PDF)
 
Reducing the Time Children Remain in Care
The legislature intends for the department to reduce the time a child remains in the child welfare system.  The department shall establish a measurable goal and report on progress to safely reduce child length of stay.

 Authorization: ESHB 1244, Chapter 564, Laws of 2009, Sec 202(22)
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
December 2009  (PDF)                                    
 
Dependent Youth Interview Pilot Programs (Final Report)
In 2008, the legislature passed ESSB 6792, establishing a pilot program affording new rights to youth who are 12 years or older and are the subject of a dependency proceeding under Chapter 13.34 RCW.  The department and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) were directed to collaborate in implementing and reporting on the program's effectiveness.

Authorization:     ESSB 6792, C 267 L08 Sec 12(2)
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
December 2010   (PDF)                                            

 
Whatcom County Family & Community Networks Pilot Project

The department's Children's Administration is required to contract for a pilot project with family and community networks in Whatcom County and up to four additional counties to provide services.  The pilot project was designed to provide a continuum of services and supports to reduce out-of-home placements and the length of time that a child stays in a placement outside of their home.

Authorization:     Chapter 546 Laws of 2009 Section 202(18) - ESHB 1244

Type of Report:  Annual

Report Date:       November 2009 (PDF)
                             November 2010 (PDF)
                             November 2011 (PDF)
                             November 2012 (PDF)

 


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Juvenile Offenders

See reports listed under Juvenile Rehabilitation
Report Date:
 
   
Safety of Newborn Children
A report and recommendation on the implementation of the act.

Authorization: RCW 13.34.360
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:
2001-2003 Staff Redeployment Report
Requires the department to use some of the funds provided in several local offices to increase staff that support case-carrying social workers in ways that will allow social workers to increase direct contact time with children, families, and foster parents.

Requires the department, to achieve the goal of reaching an average caseload ratio of 1:24 by the end of fiscal year 2003, to develop a plan for redeploying 30 FTEs to case-carrying social worker and support positions from other areas in the children and family services budget.

Requires the department to submit the FTE redeployment plan to the fiscal committees of the legislature by December 1, 2001

Authorization: Chapter 7, Laws of 2001, Section 202(4), Uncodified
Type of Report: One-Time
Report Date:

Juvenile Offenders
See reports listed under Juvenile Rehabilitation

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