BILL REQ. #:  H-3772.1 

Prefiled 1/9/2004. Read first time 01/12/2004.   Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.

     AN ACT Relating to visitation for children in foster care; adding a new section to chapter 13.34 RCW; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that contact between children in foster care and their biological families is an important component of the well-being and successful development of those children. Visitation helps to alleviate the fears and anxieties that many children in foster care experience, and thereby improves relations and interactions between the children and both their foster and biological families. Visitation can also improve the likelihood of successful, lasting reunifications by providing the framework for the development of appropriate parent-child relationships.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 13.34 RCW to read as follows:
     The department of social and health services shall develop consistent policies and protocols, based on current relevant research, concerning visitation for children in foster care to be implemented consistently throughout the state. The department shall develop the policies and protocols in consultation with researchers in the field and community-based agencies who provide related services in the state. The policies and protocols shall include, but not be limited to: The structure, quality, and frequency of visitations; and training for caseworkers, visitation supervisors, and foster parents related to visitation.
     The policies and protocols shall be consistent with the provisions of this chapter and implementation of the policies and protocols shall be consistent with relevant orders of the court.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   The department of social and health services shall implement the policies and protocols required under section 2 of this act across the state by January 1, 2005.