Background:

Child Welfare.

If an individual suspects that a child has been abused or neglected, that abuse or neglect can be reported to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Child Protective Services (CPS) office or to law enforcement. There are many individuals who are required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect.

The CPS will then determine whether the report of child abuse or neglect is credible and whether the report meets the sufficiency screening criteria. If the report meets the screening criteria, CPS will assign either: (1) a 24-hour response that includes an investigation; or (2) a family assessment response for low to moderate risk allegations that requires a 72-hour response.

The DCYF, or anyone else, can file a court petition alleging that the child should be a dependent of the state due to abuse, neglect, or because no parent, guardian, or custodian is capable of adequately caring for the child. A court will hold a shelter care hearing following removal of a child from his or her home within 72 hours. At this hearing, the court will determine if the child can return home safely.

Out-of-Home Care.

When children are removed from the home of a parent or guardian due to allegations of abuse or neglect, those children may be placed with relatives or in foster care. Relatives care for almost half the children placed in out-of-home care and are required to meet certain safety requirements but are not required to be licensed. Foster parents may pursue licensure by either the DCYF or private child-placing agencies and provide temporary care to children with the goal of reunifying the child with his or her parent or guardian.

Resource and Assessment Centers.

The purpose of the resource and assessment center is to provide short-term emergency and crisis care for children who are:

removed from their parent's or guardian's care due to suspected abuse or neglect; and
in immediate need of health care or social services.

Services provided by a center may not substitute for a crisis residential center, hope center, family reconciliation services, or other child welfare or family reconciliation-related service.

Resource and assessment centers may be licensed by DCYF when:

there is a need in the community for the service;
the center is primarily staffed by a volunteer; and
the center demonstrates that it is not financially dependent on reimbursement from the state.

There are currently three licensed resource and assessment facilities in the state as follows:

Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery in Spokane, which is licensed for up to 12 children ages 0-7;
Hand in Hand Safe Place in Everett, which is licensed for up to six children ages 0-18; and
Skookum Kids in Bellingham, which is licensed for up six children ages 0-7.

Summary of Bill:

The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) must evaluate the outcomes of resource and assessment centers contracted by the DCYF and provide a report to the Oversight Board for the DCYF, the Legislature, and the Governor by December 1, 2019, which would include:

the type of placement children experience following placement at a resource and assessment center;
the number of placement changes that children experience following placement in a resource and assessment center compared with other foster youth;
the length of stay in foster care that children experience following placement in a resource and assessment center compared with other foster youth;
the likelihood that children placed in a resource and assessment center will be placed with siblings; and
the length of time that foster families accepting children placed in resource and assessment centers continue to foster children compared to foster families receiving children directly from child protective services.