ESB 5583 -
By Committee on Children & Family Services
ADOPTED 04/11/2005
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 26.44 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Within existing resources, the department shall develop a
curriculum designed to train staff of the department's children's
administration who assess or provide services to adolescents on how to
screen and respond to referrals to child protective services when those
referrals may involve victims of abuse or neglect between the ages of
eleven and eighteen. At a minimum, the curriculum developed pursuant
to this section shall include:
(a) Review of relevant laws and regulations, including the
requirement that the department investigate complaints if a parent's or
caretaker's actions result in serious physical or emotional harm or
present an imminent risk of serious harm to any person under eighteen;
(b) Review of policies of the department's children's
administration that require assessment and screening of abuse and
neglect referrals on the basis of risk and not age;
(c) Explanation of safety assessment and risk assessment models;
(d) Case studies of situations in which the department has received
reports of alleged abuse or neglect of older children and adolescents;
(e) Discussion of best practices in screening and responding to
referrals involving older children and adolescents; and
(f) Discussion of how abuse and neglect referrals related to
adolescents are investigated and when law enforcement must be notified.
(2) As it develops its curriculum pursuant to this section, the
department shall request that the office of the family and children's
ombudsman review and comment on its proposed training materials. The
department shall consider the comments and recommendations of the
office of the family and children's ombudsman as it develops the
curriculum required by this section.
(3) The department shall complete the curriculum materials required
by this section no later than December 31, 2005.
(4) Within existing resources, the department shall incorporate
training on the curriculum developed pursuant to this section into
existing training for child protective services workers who screen
intake calls, children's administration staff responsible for assessing
or providing services to older children and adolescents, and all new
employees of the children's administration responsible for assessing or
providing services to older children and adolescents.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 26.44 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) The department shall review a sampling of the screening
decisions by child protective services related to children between the
ages of eleven and eighteen on a quarterly basis through June 30, 2007.
The sampling shall consist of not less than the proportionate share of
the two and one-half percent of all screening decisions regularly
reviewed by the department that are related to children between the
ages of eleven and eighteen. The sampling shall be representative of
the diversity of screening decisions related to children between the
ages of eleven and eighteen.
(2) The department shall use the results of the quarterly reviews
required by this section to improve practice and to improve the
curriculum required by section 1 of this act. The department shall
also report to the governor and the appropriate committees of the
legislature on the quarterly reviews required by this section on August
1, 2006, and August 1, 2007."
Correct the title.
EFFECT: Provides that the curriculum to be developed by the
Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is to be developed
within existing resources.
Provides that, within existing resources, DSHS is required to
incorporate training on the developed curriculum into existing training
for Child Protective Services (CPS) workers who screen intake calls,
Children's Administration (CA) staff responsible for assessing or
providing services to older children and adolescents, and all new
employees of the CA responsible for assessing or providing services to
older children and adolescents.
Limits the sampling of screening decisions by CPS to be reviewed
from 30 percent to a sampling consisting of not less than the
proportionate share of the two and one-half percent of all screening
decisions regularly reviewed by DSHS that are related to children
between the ages of 11 and 18. The sampling must be representative of
the diversity of screening decisions related to children between the
ages of 11 and 18.
Requires DSHS to report to the Governor and the appropriate
committees of the Legislature on the quarterly reviews on August 1,
2006, and August 1, 2007.
Removes the emergency clause.