BILL REQ. #:  S-5293.2 

READ FIRST TIME 02/08/08.   

     AN ACT Relating to creating a domestic violence pilot program to colocate a domestic violence advocate in department of social and health services offices; adding a new section to chapter 74.13 RCW; and providing an expiration date.

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) By January 2009, the department of social and health services shall create a pilot program to place a full-time domestic violence expert in a minimum of two division of children and family services offices. In selecting the offices to participate in the program, the secretary shall site one in a county with a population of at least one million and the other in a county with a population of less than two hundred thousand.
     (2) The purpose of the program is to provide domestic violence safety planning, information, and support to division of children and family services workers to assist in identifying and responding effectively to domestic violence in their caseloads.
     (3) The department shall use a request for proposal process and shall select the pilot sites by September 2008. The request for proposal shall require that the successful bidder have experience providing domestic violence services and experience working with families involved with child protective services or child welfare services.
     (4) The domestic violence expert shall provide consultation and training to child protective services social workers so that they may increase their knowledge of domestic violence and practice skills for addressing domestic violence in their caseloads, and provide safe, effective responses for children and their families experiencing domestic violence.
     (5) Alleged domestic violence shall not be considered in developing a case plan under chapter 13.34 RCW unless there has been a finding of domestic violence under chapter 26.44, 26.09, 26.50, or 13.34 RCW.
     (6) The domestic violence expert shall not provide case consultation services or direct advocacy to any family receiving services from the department.
     (7) The department shall select pilot program sites in which the supervisors who will work with the pilot program in the division of children and family services offices have formal training and experience working with families affected by domestic violence and child maltreatment and who have participated in best practices work groups for domestic violence issues.
     (8) The Washington state institute for public policy shall evaluate the pilot program to determine the outcomes of the program. The institute shall evaluate the pilot program by comparing program and nonprogram sites to determine the following outcomes:
     (a) Changes to the rate of being referred back to child protective services intake for domestic violence related concerns;
     (b) Whether there are documented safety assessments that identify domestic violence safety risk factors for the children and the adult victim of domestic violence;
     (c) Whether there are documented service plans with strategies that address and mitigate identified domestic violence safety risks;
     (d) Whether there is an increase in the ability of the adult victims of domestic violence to identify safety risks and adverse impacts of domestic violence on the children; and
     (e) Whether there is an increase in the adult domestic violence victim's access to resources available to them within the community to increase the safety and security for themselves and the children.
     (9)(a) The institute shall use the results of the evaluation to identify the effectiveness of the program including effectiveness of training and consultation, changes in social worker practices, improvements in services to families, barriers to implementing program services, and service gaps for families affected by domestic violence.
     (b) The evaluation shall include recommendations to the department for improving domestic violence responses in other division of children and family services community offices of Washington state.
     (10) The institute shall report the findings of the program to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2011.
     (11) This section expires January 1, 2012.