WSR 17-20-004
EMERGENCY RULES
DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Children's Administration)
[Filed September 21, 2017, 1:18 p.m., effective September 22, 2017]
Effective Date of Rule: September 22, 2017.
Purpose: Public Law 114-22 amended the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), a federal law for state receipt of federal funds, to require that a child be considered a victim of "child abuse and neglect" and of "sexual abuse" if the child is a victim of sex trafficking. To continue to qualify for federal funds, this WAC must be changed to incorporate sex trafficking on May 29, 2017. These changes also align with anticipated changes to the Washington state criminal code. This is an extension of the current emergency WAC in place that was filed as WSR 17-12-005.
Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-15-009.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.08.090, 74.04.050, 74.13.031, chapter 26.44 RCW.
Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that state or federal law or federal rule or a federal deadline for state receipt of federal funds requires immediate adoption of a rule.
Reasons for this Finding: This amendment is needed so that the children's administration can continue to qualify for federal CAPTA funds.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: September 20, 2017.
Katherine I. Vasquez
Rules Coordinator
AMENDATORY SECTION (Amending WSR 07-14-011, filed 6/22/07, effective 7/23/07)
WAC 388-15-009 What is child abuse or neglect?
Child abuse or neglect means the injury, sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation of a child by any person under circumstances which indicate that the child's health, welfare, or safety is harmed, or the negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child by a person responsible for or providing care to the child. An abused child is a child who has been subjected to child abuse or neglect as defined in this section.
(1) Physical abuse means the nonaccidental infliction of physical injury or physical mistreatment on a child. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to, such actions as:
(a) Throwing, kicking, burning, or cutting a child;
(b) Striking a child with a closed fist;
(c) Shaking a child under age three;
(d) Interfering with a child's breathing;
(e) Threatening a child with a deadly weapon;
(f) Doing any other act that is likely to cause and which does cause bodily harm greater than transient pain or minor temporary marks or which is injurious to the child's health, welfare or safety.
(2) Physical discipline of a child, including the reasonable use of corporal punishment, is not considered abuse when it is reasonable and moderate and is inflicted by a parent or guardian for the purposes of restraining or correcting the child. The age, size, and condition of the child, and the location of any inflicted injury shall be considered in determining whether the bodily harm is reasonable or moderate. Other factors may include the developmental level of the child and the nature of the child's misconduct. A parent's belief that it is necessary to punish a child does not justify or permit the use of excessive, immoderate or unreasonable force against the child.
(3) Sexual abuse means committing or allowing to be committed any sexual offense against a child as defined in the criminal code. The intentional touching, either directly or through the clothing, of the sexual or other intimate parts of a child or allowing, permitting, compelling, encouraging, aiding, or otherwise causing a child to engage in touching the sexual or other intimate parts of another for the purpose of gratifying the sexual desire of the person touching the child, the child, or a third party. A parent or guardian of a child, a person authorized by the parent or guardian to provide childcare for the child, or a person providing medically recognized services for the child, may touch a child in the sexual or other intimate parts for the purposes of providing hygiene, child care, and medical treatment or diagnosis.
(4) Sexual exploitation includes, but is not limited to, sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation as those terms are defined by law. Sexual exploitation also includes, but is not limited to, such actions as allowing, ((permitting,)) compelling, encouraging, aiding, or otherwise causing a child to ((engage)) participate in one or more of the following:
(a) ((Prostitution)) Any sex act when anything of value is given to or received by any person for the sex act;
(b) Sexually explicit, obscene, or pornographic activity to be photographed, filmed, or electronically reproduced or transmitted; ((or))
(c) Sexually explicit, obscene, or pornographic activity as part of a live performance((,)) or for the benefit or sexual gratification of another person.
(5) Negligent treatment or maltreatment means an act or a failure to act, or the cumulative effects of a pattern of conduct, behavior, or inaction, on the part of a child's parent, legal custodian, guardian, or caregiver that shows a serious disregard of the consequences to the child of such magnitude that it creates a clear and present danger to the child's health, welfare, or safety. A child does not have to suffer actual damage or physical or emotional harm to be in circumstances which create a clear and present danger to the child's health, welfare, or safety. Negligent treatment or maltreatment includes, but is not limited, to:
(a) Failure to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, supervision, or health care necessary for a child's health, welfare, or safety. Poverty and/or homelessness do not constitute negligent treatment or maltreatment in and of themselves;
(b) Actions, failures to act, or omissions that result in injury to or which create a substantial risk of injury to the physical, emotional, and/or cognitive development of a child; or
(c) The cumulative effects of a pattern of conduct, behavior or inaction by a parent or guardian in providing for the physical, emotional and developmental needs of a child's, or the effects of chronic failure on the part of a parent or guardian to perform basic parental functions, obligations, and duties, when the result is to cause injury or create a substantial risk of injury to the physical, emotional, and/or cognitive development of a child.