AN ACT Relating to programs for parents and children; amending RCW 43.121.015, 43.121.050, and 43.260.010; adding new sections to chapter 43.121 RCW; creating a new section; making an appropriation; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature believes that parents who have developed good early parenting skills provide homes where children are treated with dignity and respect and where closeness and trust among family members provide children with the basis for a productive adult life. The legislature also believes that children raised in this positive atmosphere will develop self esteem and are unlikely to become dependent upon the social service system or to be involved in the criminal justice system. The legislature further believes that teaching parents good early parenting skills can help eliminate physical and emotional abuse of children.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) In order to increase the knowledge of early parenting skills of parents in Washington state, voluntary community based programs on early parenting skills shall be established. The council shall fund, within available funds, and monitor community-based early parenting skills programs in at least three geographically balanced areas around the state. Successful programs which the council and the national center on child abuse and neglect have funded or currently fund, may be used as models for the projects.

(2) The early parenting education program shall be designed to serve families with children ranging from infants through three years old and also to serve expectant parents. The projects may include the following:

(a) Education for parents about the physical, mental, and emotional development of children;

(b) Programs to enhance the skills of parents in providing for learning and development of their children;

(d) Activities designed to screen for children's physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral problems that may cause learning problems;

(e) Resources for educational materials which may be borrowed for home use;

(f) Information on related community resources;

(g) Group support which may include counseling for parents under stress;

(h) Emphasis to encourage participation by fathers; or

(i) Other programs or activities consistent with this chapter.

(3) The programs shall be reviewed periodically to provide that the instruction and materials are not racially, culturally, or sexually biased.

(4) The services provided by the projects shall be coordinated with schools and social services provided in the community to avoid duplication of services.

(5) A sliding fee scale shall be utilized at the discretion of the council.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) Funding shall be provided, as funds are available, in decreasing amounts over a two-year period, with the goal of having the programs become supported by local communities at the end of a two-year period. State funding may be continued in areas where local funding would be difficult to obtain due to local economic conditions to the extent funding is made available to the council. (2) The council shall work with the projects in the program to evaluate the results of the projects. The council shall make recommendations on these projects and the program. A project agreeing to develop an evaluation component shall be considered for a three-year funding schedule. A report on the evaluations shall be made available to the legislature at the beginning of the legislative session in 1992.

Sec. 4. Section 2, chapter 351, Laws of 1987 and RCW 43.121.015 are each amended to read as follows:

As used in this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Child" means an unmarried person who is under eighteen years of age.

(2) "Council" means the Washington council for the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

(3) "Primary prevention" of child abuse and neglect means any effort designed to inhibit or preclude the initial occurrence of child abuse and neglect, both by the promotion of positive parenting and family interaction, and the remediation of factors linked to causes of child maltreatment.

((~~(3)~~)) (4) "Secondary prevention" means services and programs that identify and assist families under such stress that abuse or neglect is likely or families display symptoms associated with child abuse or neglect.

Sec. 5. Section 5, chapter 4, Laws of 1982 as amended by section 4, chapter 351, Laws of 1987 and RCW 43.121.050 are each amended to read as follows:

To carry out the purposes of this chapter, the council ((~~on child abuse and neglect~~)) may:

(1) Contract with public or private nonprofit organizations, agencies, schools, or with qualified individuals for the establishment of community-based educational and service programs designed to:

(a) Reduce the occurrence of child abuse and neglect; and

(b) Provide for parenting skills which include: Consistency in parenting; providing children with positive discipline that provides firm order without hurting children physically or emotionally; and preserving and nurturing the family unit. Programs to provide these parenting skills may include the following:

(i) Programs to teach positive methods of disciplining children;

(ii) Programs to educate parents about the physical, mental, and emotional development of children;

(iii) Programs to enhance the skills of parents in providing for their children's learning and development; and

(iv) Learning experiences for children and parents to help prepare parents and children for the experiences in school. Contracts also may be awarded for research programs related to primary and secondary prevention of child abuse and neglect, and to develop and strengthen community child abuse and neglect prevention networks. Each contract entered into by the council shall contain a provision for the evaluation of services provided under the contract. Contracts for services to prevent child abuse and child neglect shall be awarded as demonstration projects with continuation based upon goal attainment. Contracts for services to prevent child abuse and child neglect shall be awarded on the basis of probability of success based in part upon sound research data.

(2) Facilitate the exchange of information between groups concerned with families and children.

(3) Consult with applicable state agencies, commissions, and boards to help determine the probable effectiveness, fiscal soundness, and need for proposed educational and service programs for the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

(4) Establish fee schedules to provide for the recipients of services to reimburse the state general fund for the cost of services received.

(5) Adopt its own bylaws.

(6) Adopt rules under chapter 34.04 RCW as necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

Sec. 6. Section 1, chapter 473, Laws of 1987 and RCW 43.260.010 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) There is established the governor's commission on children, referred to in this chapter as the commission.

(2) The commission shall have the following functions:

(a) To develop a long-term children's services strategy for the development of an effective, comprehensive coordinated children's services delivery system that will meet the needs of children in the state. The objective of the strategy shall be to (i) define existing service needs of children in Washington state, utilizing existing studies and data sources where appropriate, (ii) identify the kinds of services needed by children and families to meet a minimum standard and level of physical and mental health and safety, (iii) identify the current level of services available and gaps or overlapping services, and (iv) make recommendations to implement an effective comprehensive service delivery system. The commission shall submit an initial strategy to the appropriate committees of the legislature by October 1, 1988;

(b) In formulating the long-term children's services strategy, the commission shall seek input from providers with expertise in children's mental health, health care including prenatal care, adolescent drug and alcohol treatment, education including early childhood education, nonprofit funding sources, child abuse and neglect, child care, dependency, delinquency and the juvenile justice system, family support services, and representatives from minority communities including the migrant worker community, the black community, the native American community, and the Asian community. The commission shall also consult with the governor, the director of revenue, the office of financial management, the director of community development, the superintendent of public instruction, and the secretary of the department of social and health services;

(c) To consult with the Washington council for the prevention of child abuse and neglect regarding the creation of a state-wide data-base clearinghouse. The commission shall report to the appropriate legislative committees regarding the need for and feasibility of a state-wide clearinghouse. If the commission recommends the creation of a clearinghouse, the report shall include alternative designs for a data-base clearinghouse, estimated costs related to both the startup and maintenance of a clearinghouse, potential housing sites for the clearinghouse and placements for terminal links, and funding sources for the clearinghouse. This clearinghouse shall be concerned with programs and information on parenting education as well as child abuse and neglect prevention programs and information;

(3) The strategy under subsection (2)(a) of this section shall include consideration of:

(a) The identification of ways to reduce overlapping services and to fill in service gaps through shared service provisions;

(b) Methods to increase the effectiveness, participation, and communication among city, county, state, private nonprofit, and private for profit funding sources in defining and funding the service delivery system; and

(c) The identification and recommendation of state funding priorities for prevention and early intervention activities to meet the needs of children and families;

(4) A final report outlining the long-term children's services strategy and recommendations shall be submitted to the appropriate committees of the legislature by January 10, 1989.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Sections 1 through 3 of this act are each added to chapter 43.121 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.