HB 1333-S - DIGEST |
(DIGEST AS ENACTED) |
Requires the department to coordinate within the divisions of the department, and shall enter into contracts with service providers, to require that parents in dependency proceedings under this act receive priority access to court-ordered services to the extent funding is appropriated in the operating budget. If court-ordered services are unavailable for any reason, including lack of services or language barriers, the department shall promptly notify the court that the parent is unable to engage in the treatment due to the inability to access such services. |
Provides that, prior to the child returning home, the department must complete the following: (1) Identify any person who will act as a caregiver for the child and determine whether the caregiver is in need of any services in order to ensure the safety of the child, regardless of whether the caregiver is a party to the dependency. If services are recommended for the caregiver, and the caregiver fails to engage in the recommended services, the child welfare worker must promptly notify the court; |
(2) Identify all adults residing in the home and conduct background checks on those persons; and |
(3) Notify the parent in the home to which the child is being returned that he or she has an ongoing duty to notify the department of any persons who are residing in the home or acting as a caregiver for the child. |
Provides that, if a child is removed from home due to allegations of abuse or neglect, returned home, and subsequently removed and placed in out-of-home care, the court shall hold a permanency hearing no later than thirty days from the date of the removal to determine the appropriate action, including a change in the permanency plan or the filing of a termination petition. The best interests of the child shall be the primary consideration in determining the appropriate action. |
Requires the criminal justice training commission to develop and deliver multidisciplinary team training sessions aimed at improving the coordination of, and communication between, agencies involved in the investigation of child fatality, child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, and criminal child neglect cases. Each county shall be encouraged to send a multidisciplinary team to participate in one of these team training sessions at least on an annual basis. Multidisciplinary teams shall include, at a minimum, representatives from the prosecuting attorney's office, the sheriff's office, police departments located in the county, the department of children and family services, local child advocacy groups, and emergency medical services. |
Directs the department of social and health services, the attorney general, and the judicial branch to identify all cases in which a dependency has been established under chapter 13.34 RCW and in which the permanency planning goals have not been achieved within fifteen months of when the child was placed in out-of-home care. The agencies shall also identify the reasons for the noncompliance. The department, the attorney general, and the judicial branch shall report to the appropriate committees of the legislature before December 1, 2007, and before December 1st of each year thereafter. |