HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1858

BYRepresentatives Sprenkle, Ferguson, Brekke, P. King, Winsley, Leonard, Sutherland, Locke and Anderson

Requiring consideration of minority race or minority ethnic heritage in adoptions and foster care placements.

House Committe on Human Services

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (5)

      Signed by Representatives Brekke, Chair; Scott, Vice Chair; Anderson, Leonard and Sutherland.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  (4)

      Signed by Representatives Moyer, Padden, H. Sommers and Winsley.

House Staff:Jean Wessman (786-7132)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES FEBRUARY 4, 1988

BACKGROUND:

Minority children comprise about twenty-nine percent of all children who are placed in out-of-home care.  This rate is three times the prevalence of minorities in the general population.  The Department of Social and Health Services reports a growing shortage of culturally appropriate foster care and adoptive families for minority children.

The department's current recordkeeping methods do not contain data necessary to determine information regarding the appropriateness of services to minority children and to report to the federal government for funding purposes.

SUMMARY:

A state policy is declared to serve the interests of children by considering a child's race, ethnic heritage and religious preference in making foster care and adoptive placements.

The statutes related to adoption, foster care placements and families in conflict are modified to require child-placing agencies to give preference to a child's race or ethnic heritage in making placements.  The custodial parent may choose the placement preference, unless there is compelling reason to use another preference.  The child must be placed according to the religious preference of the parent, unless there is good cause not to do so.

Child-placing agencies are required to use special efforts to recruit placement homes from among the child's relatives or among families of the same ethnic, racial or religious heritage of the child.

The duty to compile statistical information on placement preference regarding race and ethnic heritage is added to the list of duties the department has in providing child welfare service.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 25, 1988.

Effective Date:July 1, 1988 for Section 8 only.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Representative Art Sprenkle, Prime Sponsor; Jon LeVeque, Alliance for Children, Youth and Families; Katherine Briar and Joyce Hopson, Department of Social and Health Services; Robin Prentice, Good News for Black Children; and Vergie Burks, Medina Children's Service.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    This legislation is necessary to place in statute the state's commitment to consideration of its cultural and ethnic minorities and the religious preferences of persons who become involved in its child welfare systems.  Such a policy statement is very important in improving the recruitment of minority homes for both adoption and foster care.  Such homes are becoming part of the growing shortage of homes in the overall system and extensive media campaigns are necessary to recruit minority homes in particular.  The consideration of a child's cultural and ethnic heritage as well as religious preference is not mandated by the legislation but requires the Department to consider it in foster care placements, adoptions, and placements under the families in conflict statute.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.