CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5811

Chapter 226, Laws of 2003

58th Legislature
2003 Regular Session



FOSTER CARE--BIRTH FAMILY



EFFECTIVE DATE: 7/27/03

Passed by the Senate April 21, 2003
  YEAS 43   NAYS 0

BRAD OWEN
________________________________________    
President of the Senate
Passed by the House April 11, 2003
  YEAS 83   NAYS 0

FRANK CHOPP
________________________________________    
Speaker of the House of Representatives


 
CERTIFICATE

I, Milton H. Doumit, Jr., Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5811 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth.

MILTON H. DOUMIT JR.
________________________________________    
Secretary
Approved May 12, 2003.








GARY LOCKE
________________________________________    
Governor of the State of Washington
 
FILED
May 12, 2003 - 4:04 p.m.







Secretary of State
State of Washington


_____________________________________________ 

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5811
_____________________________________________

AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

Passed Legislature - 2003 Regular Session
State of Washington58th Legislature2003 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Children & Family Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators Hargrove, Stevens and McAuliffe)

READ FIRST TIME 02/24/03.   



     AN ACT Relating to the involvement of the birth family in foster care; amending RCW 13.34.260; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that a large group of children spend a significant part of their lives in foster care. Each individual connected to a child in an out-of-home placement must have an abiding appreciation of the seriousness of the child's separation from his or her family and the past, whether that separation is short, long, or permanent in nature. It is the intent of the legislature to recognize and honor the history and the family connections that each child brings to an out-of-home placement.
     The legislature finds that creating and sanctioning a connection between a child's birth parents and foster family, when appropriate, can result in better relationships among birth families, children, foster families, and social workers. Creating and sanctioning this connection can result in greater foster placement stability and fewer disruptions for children, as well as greater satisfaction for foster parents and social workers.

Sec. 2   RCW 13.34.260 and 2002 c 52 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) In an attempt to minimize the inherent intrusion in the lives of families involved in the foster care system and to maintain parental authority where appropriate, the department, absent good cause, shall follow the wishes of the natural parent regarding the placement of the child. Preferences such as family constellation, sibling relationships, ethnicity, and religion shall be considered when matching children to foster homes. Parental authority is appropriate in areas that are not connected with the abuse or neglect that resulted in the dependency and shall be integrated through the foster care team.
     (2) When a child is placed in out-of-home care foster parents are encouraged to:
     (a) Provide consultation to the foster care team based upon their experience with the child placed in their care;
     (b) Assist the birth parents by helping them understand their child's needs and correlating appropriate parenting responses;
     (c) Participate in educational activities, and enter into community-building activities with birth families and other foster families;
     (d) Transport children to family time visits with birth families and assist children and their families in maximizing the purposefulness of family time.
     (3)
For purposes of this section, "foster care team" means the foster parent currently providing care, the currently assigned social worker, and the parent or parents; and "birth family" means the persons described in RCW 74.15.020(2)(a).


         Passed by the Senate April 21, 2003.
         Passed by the House April 11, 2003.
         Approved by the Governor May 12, 2003.
         Filed in Office of Secretary of State May 12, 2003.