SB 5317-S.E - DIGEST
(DIGEST AS ENACTED)

Declares that the purpose of this act is to provide tools to promote the hiring of suitable providers of child care by: (1) Providing parents with access to information regarding child care providers;

(2) Providing parents with child care licensing action histories regarding child care providers;

(3) Providing parents with child care licensing complaint histories regarding child care providers; and

(4) Requiring background checks of applicants for employment in any child care facility licensed or regulated under current law.

Provides that, in determining whether an individual is of appropriate character, suitability, and competence to provide child care and early learning services to children, the department may consider the history of past involvement of child protective services or law enforcement agencies with the individual for the purpose of establishing a pattern of conduct, behavior, or inaction with regard to the health, safety, or welfare of a child. No report of child abuse or neglect that has been destroyed or expunged under RCW 26.44.031 may be used for such purposes. No unfounded or inconclusive allegation of child abuse or neglect as defined in RCW 26.44.020 may be disclosed to a provider licensed under this act.

Declares that in order to determine the suitability of applicants for an agency license, licensees, their employees, and other persons who have unsupervised access to children in care, and who have not resided in the state of Washington during the three-year period before being authorized to care for children, shall be fingerprinted.

Requires the fingerprints to be forwarded to the Washington state patrol and federal bureau of investigation for a criminal history record check.

Requires the director to use the information solely for the purpose of determining eligibility for a license and for determining the character, suitability, and competence of those persons or agencies, excluding parents, not required to be licensed who are authorized to care for children.

Authorizes the department to make available on a publicly accessible web site all inspection reports and notices of enforcement actions involving child day-care centers and family day-care providers. The department shall include in the inspection report a statement of the corrective measures taken by the center or provider.

Requires the department and an agency to, at the first opportunity but in all cases within forty-eight hours of receiving a report alleging sexual misconduct or abuse by an agency employee, notify the parents or guardian of a child alleged to be the victim, target, or recipient of the misconduct or abuse. The department and an agency shall provide parents annually with information regarding their rights under the public records act, chapter 42.56 RCW, to request the public records regarding the employee.

Provides that, for the purposes of reporting actions taken against agency employees or licensees, the following actions shall be posted to the department's web site accessible by the public: Suspension, surrender, revocation, denial, stayed suspension, or reinstatement of a license, and any written reprimand related to abuse and sexual misconduct or abuse.