S-3918.2  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6245

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senators Thibaudeau, Prentice, Goings, Wood, Sheldon, Winsley, Quigley, Wojahn, Smith, Fraser, Moyer, Franklin, McAuliffe, Deccio and Rasmussen

Read first time 01/09/96.  Referred to Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care.

Requiring child death investigations and reports.

    AN ACT Relating to child death investigations; and adding a new section to chapter 74.13 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 74.13 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply in this section.

    (a) "Community child death review team" means a multidisciplinary, multiagency team, including without limitation professionals in the area of public health, medicine, law enforcement, mental health, social services, chemical dependency treatment, child welfare, and social work who perform a comprehensive evaluation of circumstances leading up to the unexpected death of a minor in the care of the department.

    (b) "Consistent process of review" means the use of protocols that ensure the comprehensive evaluation of circumstances leading up to the unexpected death of a minor.

    (c) "Department" means the department of social and health services.

    (d) "Minor" means a person less than eighteen years of age.

    (2) The department may adopt rules regarding child death review under this section, including, but not limited to time frames for completion of child death review, the manner of deaths subject to review, and the membership of community child death review teams, for purposes of reviewing unexpected deaths of children in the care of or receiving the services of the department.

    (3) The department of health and the department shall provide an annual, joint report to the appropriate committees of the legislature on child deaths in Washington state.  This report shall include, but not be limited to, information on deaths attributed to child maltreatment and deaths of children in the care of or receiving those services described in this chapter from the department.

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