BILL REQ. #:  S-1327.1 

Read first time 02/05/09.   Referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

     AN ACT Relating to an evaluation of two recommendations made by the racial disproportionality advisory committee; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that in 2007 it passed chapter 465 (Substitute House Bill No. 1472), Laws of 2007 directing the department of social and health services to accomplish the following: Determine if racial disproportionality exists in Washington's child welfare system; and identify needed remediation if disproportionality was found.
     The legislature further finds that research conducted by the Washington state institute for public policy released in June 2008 established that racial disproportionality exists in Washington's child welfare system. The legislature finds that the greatest disproportionality for children of color occurs when: The initial referral to child protective services is made; the decision to remove the child from home is made; and a child is in care for over two years.
     The legislature acknowledges that a December 2008 report from the department of social and health services identified initial recommendations for remediation, of which the two most important call for examining two current child welfare practices, structured decision making and family team decision making, to determine their impact on racial disproportionality in the child welfare system.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   The Washington state institute for public policy is directed to evaluate the use of structured decision-making practices by the children's administration in the department of social and health services to determine its impact on reducing the disproportionality of African-American, Native American, and latino children referred to the department of social and health services. The institute shall also evaluate the use of the family team decision-making model by the department to determine whether the model reduces disproportionality in the placement and length of stay of children of color.
     The institute shall report its finding to the legislature and the department of social and health services no later than September 1, 2010.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   It is expected that this evaluation will be supported partly through state dollars and partly through private funding.