2156-SAMSHARGS3094.1SHB 2156S AMD603By Senators Hargrove, StevensADOPTED 04/19/2005 Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert thefollowing:NEW SECTION.Sec. (1) A joint task force on child safety forchildren in child protective services or child welfare services isestablished. The joint task force shall consist of the followingmembers: (a) One member from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate,appointed by the president of the senate; (b) One member from each of the two largest caucuses of the houseof representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house ofrepresentatives; (c) A representative from the Washington council for prevention ofchild abuse and neglect; (d) One representative from each of the four most recent childfatality review committees; (e) The secretary of the department of social and health servicesor the secretary's designee; (f) The executive director of the office of public defense or theexecutive director's designee; (g) The director of the office of family and children's ombudsmanor the director's designee; (h) A representative of the Washington association of sheriffs andpolice chiefs; (i) The secretary of the department of health or the secretary'sdesignee; (j) A representative of the office of attorney general; (k) A representative of the superior court judges association; (l) One representative each from social workers for childprotective services and social workers for child welfare services, 1 appointed by the secretary of the department of social and healthservices; and (m) The following members, jointly appointed by the speaker of thehouse of representatives and the president of the senate: (i) A representative from a statewide foster parents associationand a foster parent not affiliated with the statewide foster parentsassociation; (ii) A representative from a statewide birth parent organization ora birth parent who has been involved in the child welfare system; (iii) Two representatives of Washington state Indian tribes asdefined under the federal Indian welfare act (25 U.S.C. Sec. 1901 etseq.); and (iv) One representative each from two different organizations thatprimarily provide services to children and families involved with thechild welfare system. (2) Two of the legislative members shall serve as cochairs of thetask force. (3) The task force shall review and make recommendations to thelegislature and the governor on improving the health, safety, andwelfare of Washington children in child protective services or childwelfare services. In preparing the recommendations, the committeeshall, at a minimum, review the following issues: (a) State and federal statutes regarding child safety, placement,removal from the home, termination of parental rights, andreunification with parents; (b) Current and ongoing department of social and health serviceswork groups or work plans regarding child safety, placement, removalfrom the home, termination of parental rights, and reunification withparents; (c) The purpose and value of child protection teams and determinewhether any changes should be made; (d) Best practices regarding children removed from parents at birthand placed in outofhome care, transition services for families withchildren in outofhome placement for an extended period of time, andstandards for return to home placement when a child has been placedoutofhome including situations where a child has been placed outofhome and returned to home multiple times; 2 (e) The training that is offered to social workers regarding childdevelopment and determine whether any changes should be made; (f) Best practices regarding sharing of accurate, complete, andrelevant medical, mental health, and substance abuse informationbetween case workers, supervisors, the courts, child protection teams,counsel, guardians, parents, and other relevant participants in childplacement decisions; (g) Best practices for assessing and addressing chemical dependencyissues of parents; (h) The effectiveness of current homebased service providerscurrently used and determine whether any changes should be made; (i) Best practices addressing family cultural and tribal issues andthe role, if any, of social worker training or bias in safetyassessment and placement decisions; and (j) Other issues deemed relevant to improving child safetyoutcomes. (4) The task force, where feasible, may consult with individualsfrom the public and private sector. (5) The task force shall use legislative facilities and staff fromsenate committee services and the house office of program research. (6) The task force shall report its preliminary findings andrecommendations to the legislature by December 31, 2005, and a finalreport on its findings and recommendations by September 1, 2006.NEW SECTION.Sec. This act expires October 1, 2006.NEW SECTION.Sec. This act is necessary for the immediatepreservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of thestate government and its existing public institutions, and takes effectimmediately. 3 SHB 2156S AMD603By Senators Hargrove, StevensADOPTED 04/19/2005 On page 1, line 1 of the title, after rights; strike theremainder of the title and insert creating a new section; providing anexpiration date; and declaring an emergency.--- END --- 4