Passed by the Senate April 25, 2013 YEAS 47   ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House April 16, 2013 YEAS 80   ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Hunter G. Goodman, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5405 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Secretary | |
Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2013 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 03/01/13.
AN ACT Relating to extended foster care services; amending RCW 13.34.145, 13.34.267, 74.13.020, 74.13.031, 43.88C.010, 74.13.107, and 43.131.416; reenacting and amending RCW 13.34.030, 74.13.020, and 74.13.031; adding a new section to chapter 74.13 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 13.34 RCW; creating new sections; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The legislature finds that the federal
fostering connections to success and increasing adoptions act of 2008
provides important new opportunities to increase the impact of state
funding through maximizing the amount of federal funding available to
promote permanency and positive outcomes for dependent youth.
(2) The legislature also finds that children and adolescents who
are legal dependents of Washington state have experienced significant
trauma and loss, putting them at increased risk for poor life outcomes.
Longitudinal research on the adult functioning of former foster youth
indicates a disproportionate likelihood that youth aging out of foster
care and those who spent several years in care will experience poor
outcomes in a variety of areas, including limited human capital upon
which to build economic security and inability to fully take advantage
of secondary and postsecondary educational opportunities, untreated
mental or behavioral health problems, involvement in the criminal
justice and corrections systems, and early parenthood combined with
second-generation child welfare involvement.
(3) The legislature further finds that research also demonstrates
that access to adequate and appropriate supports during the period of
transition from foster care to independence can have significant
positive impacts on adult functioning and can improve outcomes relating
to educational attainment and postsecondary enrollment, employment and
earnings, and reduced rates of teen pregnancies.
Sec. 2 RCW 13.34.030 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 36 s 13 are each
reenacted and amended to read as follows:
For purposes of this chapter:
(1) "Abandoned" means when the child's parent, guardian, or other
custodian has expressed, either by statement or conduct, an intent to
forego, for an extended period, parental rights or responsibilities
despite an ability to exercise such rights and responsibilities. If
the court finds that the petitioner has exercised due diligence in
attempting to locate the parent, no contact between the child and the
child's parent, guardian, or other custodian for a period of three
months creates a rebuttable presumption of abandonment, even if there
is no expressed intent to abandon.
(2) "Child," "juvenile," and "youth" means:
(a) Any individual under the age of eighteen years; or
(b) Any individual age eighteen to twenty-one years who is eligible
to receive and who elects to receive the extended foster care services
authorized under RCW 74.13.031. A youth who remains dependent and who
receives extended foster care services under RCW 74.13.031 shall not be
considered a "child" under any other statute or for any other purpose.
(3) "Current placement episode" means the period of time that
begins with the most recent date that the child was removed from the
home of the parent, guardian, or legal custodian for purposes of
placement in out-of-home care and continues until: (a) The child
returns home; (b) an adoption decree, a permanent custody order, or
guardianship order is entered; or (c) the dependency is dismissed,
whichever occurs first.
(4) "Department" means the department of social and health
services.
(5) "Dependency guardian" means the person, nonprofit corporation,
or Indian tribe appointed by the court pursuant to this chapter for the
limited purpose of assisting the court in the supervision of the
dependency.
(6) "Dependent child" means any child who:
(a) Has been abandoned;
(b) Is abused or neglected as defined in chapter 26.44 RCW by a
person legally responsible for the care of the child;
(c) Has no parent, guardian, or custodian capable of adequately
caring for the child, such that the child is in circumstances which
constitute a danger of substantial damage to the child's psychological
or physical development; or
(d) Is receiving extended foster care services, as authorized by
RCW 74.13.031.
(7) "Developmental disability" means a disability attributable to
intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or another
neurological or other condition of an individual found by the secretary
to be closely related to an intellectual disability or to require
treatment similar to that required for individuals with intellectual
disabilities, which disability originates before the individual attains
age eighteen, which has continued or can be expected to continue
indefinitely, and which constitutes a substantial limitation to the
individual.
(8) "Extended foster care services" means residential and other
support services the department is authorized to provide under RCW
74.13.031. These services may include placement in licensed, relative,
or otherwise approved care, or supervised independent living settings;
assistance in meeting basic needs; independent living services; medical
assistance; and counseling or treatment.
(9) "Guardian" means the person or agency that: (a) Has been
appointed as the guardian of a child in a legal proceeding, including
a guardian appointed pursuant to chapter 13.36 RCW; and (b) has the
legal right to custody of the child pursuant to such appointment. The
term "guardian" does not include a "dependency guardian" appointed
pursuant to a proceeding under this chapter.
(10) "Guardian ad litem" means a person, appointed by the court to
represent the best interests of a child in a proceeding under this
chapter, or in any matter which may be consolidated with a proceeding
under this chapter. A "court-appointed special advocate" appointed by
the court to be the guardian ad litem for the child, or to perform
substantially the same duties and functions as a guardian ad litem,
shall be deemed to be guardian ad litem for all purposes and uses of
this chapter.
(11) "Guardian ad litem program" means a court-authorized volunteer
program, which is or may be established by the superior court of the
county in which such proceeding is filed, to manage all aspects of
volunteer guardian ad litem representation for children alleged or
found to be dependent. Such management shall include but is not
limited to: Recruitment, screening, training, supervision, assignment,
and discharge of volunteers.
(12) "Housing assistance" means appropriate referrals by the
department or other supervising agencies to federal, state, local, or
private agencies or organizations, assistance with forms, applications,
or financial subsidies or other monetary assistance for housing. For
purposes of this chapter, "housing assistance" is not a remedial
service or time-limited family reunification service as described in
RCW 13.34.025(2).
(13) "Indigent" means a person who, at any stage of a court
proceeding, is:
(a) Receiving one of the following types of public assistance:
Temporary assistance for needy families, aged, blind, or disabled
assistance benefits, medical care services under RCW 74.09.035,
pregnant women assistance benefits, poverty-related veterans' benefits,
food stamps or food stamp benefits transferred electronically, refugee
resettlement benefits, medicaid, or supplemental security income; or
(b) Involuntarily committed to a public mental health facility; or
(c) Receiving an annual income, after taxes, of one hundred twenty-five percent or less of the federally established poverty level; or
(d) Unable to pay the anticipated cost of counsel for the matter
before the court because his or her available funds are insufficient to
pay any amount for the retention of counsel.
(14) "Out-of-home care" means placement in a foster family home or
group care facility licensed pursuant to chapter 74.15 RCW or placement
in a home, other than that of the child's parent, guardian, or legal
custodian, not required to be licensed pursuant to chapter 74.15 RCW.
(15) "Preventive services" means preservation services, as defined
in chapter 74.14C RCW, and other reasonably available services,
including housing assistance, capable of preventing the need for out-of-home placement while protecting the child.
(16) "Shelter care" means temporary physical care in a facility
licensed pursuant to RCW 74.15.030 or in a home not required to be
licensed pursuant to RCW 74.15.030.
(17) "Sibling" means a child's birth brother, birth sister,
adoptive brother, adoptive sister, half-brother, or half-sister, or as
defined by the law or custom of the Indian child's tribe for an Indian
child as defined in RCW 13.38.040.
(18) "Social study" means a written evaluation of matters relevant
to the disposition of the case and shall contain the following
information:
(a) A statement of the specific harm or harms to the child that
intervention is designed to alleviate;
(b) A description of the specific services and activities, for both
the parents and child, that are needed in order to prevent serious harm
to the child; the reasons why such services and activities are likely
to be useful; the availability of any proposed services; and the
agency's overall plan for ensuring that the services will be delivered.
The description shall identify the services chosen and approved by the
parent;
(c) If removal is recommended, a full description of the reasons
why the child cannot be protected adequately in the home, including a
description of any previous efforts to work with the parents and the
child in the home; the in-home treatment programs that have been
considered and rejected; the preventive services, including housing
assistance, that have been offered or provided and have failed to
prevent the need for out-of-home placement, unless the health, safety,
and welfare of the child cannot be protected adequately in the home;
and the parents' attitude toward placement of the child;
(d) A statement of the likely harms the child will suffer as a
result of removal;
(e) A description of the steps that will be taken to minimize the
harm to the child that may result if separation occurs including an
assessment of the child's relationship and emotional bond with any
siblings, and the agency's plan to provide ongoing contact between the
child and the child's siblings if appropriate; and
(f) Behavior that will be expected before determination that
supervision of the family or placement is no longer necessary.
(19) "Supervising agency" means an agency licensed by the state
under RCW 74.15.090, or licensed by a federally recognized Indian tribe
located in this state under RCW 74.15.190, that has entered into a
performance-based contract with the department to provide case
management for the delivery and documentation of child welfare services
as defined in RCW 74.13.020.
(20) "Nonminor dependent" means any individual age eighteen to
twenty-one years who is participating in extended foster care services
authorized under RCW 74.13.031.
(21) "Supervised independent living" includes, but is not limited
to, apartment living, room and board arrangements, college or
university dormitories, and shared roommate settings. Supervised
independent living settings must be approved by the children's
administration or the court.
(22) "Voluntary placement agreement" means, for the purposes of
extended foster care services, a written voluntary agreement between a
nonminor dependent who agrees to submit to the care and authority of
the department for the purposes of participating in the extended foster
care program.
Sec. 3 RCW 13.34.145 and 2011 c 330 s 6 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The purpose of a permanency planning hearing is to review the
permanency plan for the child, inquire into the welfare of the child
and progress of the case, and reach decisions regarding the permanent
placement of the child.
(a) A permanency planning hearing shall be held in all cases where
the child has remained in out-of-home care for at least nine months and
an adoption decree, guardianship order, or permanent custody order has
not previously been entered. The hearing shall take place no later
than twelve months following commencement of the current placement
episode.
(b) Whenever a child is removed from the home of a dependency
guardian or long-term relative or foster care provider, and the child
is not returned to the home of the parent, guardian, or legal custodian
but is placed in out-of-home care, a permanency planning hearing shall
take place no later than twelve months, as provided in this section,
following the date of removal unless, prior to the hearing, the child
returns to the home of the dependency guardian or long-term care
provider, the child is placed in the home of the parent, guardian, or
legal custodian, an adoption decree, guardianship order, or a permanent
custody order is entered, or the dependency is dismissed. Every effort
shall be made to provide stability in long-term placement, and to avoid
disruption of placement, unless the child is being returned home or it
is in the best interest of the child.
(c) Permanency planning goals should be achieved at the earliest
possible date, preferably before the child has been in out-of-home care
for fifteen months. In cases where parental rights have been
terminated, the child is legally free for adoption, and adoption has
been identified as the primary permanency planning goal, it shall be a
goal to complete the adoption within six months following entry of the
termination order.
(2) No later than ten working days prior to the permanency planning
hearing, the agency having custody of the child shall submit a written
permanency plan to the court and shall mail a copy of the plan to all
parties and their legal counsel, if any.
(3) When the youth is at least age seventeen years but not older
than seventeen years and six months, the department shall provide the
youth with written documentation which explains the availability of
extended foster care services and detailed instructions regarding how
the youth may access such services after he or she reaches age eighteen
years.
(4) At the permanency planning hearing, the court shall conduct the
following inquiry:
(a) If a goal of long-term foster or relative care has been
achieved prior to the permanency planning hearing, the court shall
review the child's status to determine whether the placement and the
plan for the child's care remain appropriate.
(b) In cases where the primary permanency planning goal has not
been achieved, the court shall inquire regarding the reasons why the
primary goal has not been achieved and determine what needs to be done
to make it possible to achieve the primary goal. The court shall
review the permanency plan prepared by the agency and make explicit
findings regarding each of the following:
(i) The continuing necessity for, and the safety and
appropriateness of, the placement;
(ii) The extent of compliance with the permanency plan by the
department or supervising agency and any other service providers, the
child's parents, the child, and the child's guardian, if any;
(iii) The extent of any efforts to involve appropriate service
providers in addition to department or supervising agency staff in
planning to meet the special needs of the child and the child's
parents;
(iv) The progress toward eliminating the causes for the child's
placement outside of his or her home and toward returning the child
safely to his or her home or obtaining a permanent placement for the
child;
(v) The date by which it is likely that the child will be returned
to his or her home or placed for adoption, with a guardian or in some
other alternative permanent placement; and
(vi) If the child has been placed outside of his or her home for
fifteen of the most recent twenty-two months, not including any period
during which the child was a runaway from the out-of-home placement or
the first six months of any period during which the child was returned
to his or her home for a trial home visit, the appropriateness of the
permanency plan, whether reasonable efforts were made by the department
or supervising agency to achieve the goal of the permanency plan, and
the circumstances which prevent the child from any of the following:
(A) Being returned safely to his or her home;
(B) Having a petition for the involuntary termination of parental
rights filed on behalf of the child;
(C) Being placed for adoption;
(D) Being placed with a guardian;
(E) Being placed in the home of a fit and willing relative of the
child; or
(F) Being placed in some other alternative permanent placement,
including independent living or long-term foster care.
At this hearing, the court shall order the department or
supervising agency to file a petition seeking termination of parental
rights if the child has been in out-of-home care for fifteen of the
last twenty-two months since the date the dependency petition was filed
unless the court makes a good cause exception as to why the filing of
a termination of parental rights petition is not appropriate. Any good
cause finding shall be reviewed at all subsequent hearings pertaining
to the child. For purposes of this section, "good cause exception"
includes but is not limited to the following: The child is being cared
for by a relative; the department has not provided to the child's
family such services as the court and the department have deemed
necessary for the child's safe return home; or the department has
documented in the case plan a compelling reason for determining that
filing a petition to terminate parental rights would not be in the
child's best interests.
(c)(i) If the permanency plan identifies independent living as a
goal, the court shall make a finding that the provision of services to
assist the child in making a transition from foster care to independent
living will allow the child to manage his or her financial, personal,
social, educational, and nonfinancial affairs prior to approving
independent living as a permanency plan of care. The court will
inquire whether the child has been provided information about extended
foster care services.
(ii) The permanency plan shall also specifically identify the
services, including extended foster care services, where appropriate,
that will be provided to assist the child to make a successful
transition from foster care to independent living.
(iii) The department or supervising agency shall not discharge a
child to an independent living situation before the child is eighteen
years of age unless the child becomes emancipated pursuant to chapter
13.64 RCW.
(d) If the child has resided in the home of a foster parent or
relative for more than six months prior to the permanency planning
hearing, the court shall:
(i) Enter a finding regarding whether the foster parent or relative
was informed of the hearing as required in RCW 74.13.280, 13.34.215(6),
and 13.34.096; and
(ii) If the department or supervising agency is recommending a
placement other than the child's current placement with a foster
parent, relative, or other suitable person, enter a finding as to the
reasons for the recommendation for a change in placement.
(((4))) (5) In all cases, at the permanency planning hearing, the
court shall:
(a)(i) Order the permanency plan prepared by the supervising agency
to be implemented; or
(ii) Modify the permanency plan, and order implementation of the
modified plan; and
(b)(i) Order the child returned home only if the court finds that
a reason for removal as set forth in RCW 13.34.130 no longer exists; or
(ii) Order the child to remain in out-of-home care for a limited
specified time period while efforts are made to implement the
permanency plan.
(((5))) (6) Following the first permanency planning hearing, the
court shall hold a further permanency planning hearing in accordance
with this section at least once every twelve months until a permanency
planning goal is achieved or the dependency is dismissed, whichever
occurs first.
(((6))) (7) Prior to the second permanency planning hearing, the
agency that has custody of the child shall consider whether to file a
petition for termination of parental rights.
(((7))) (8) If the court orders the child returned home, casework
supervision by the department or supervising agency shall continue for
at least six months, at which time a review hearing shall be held
pursuant to RCW 13.34.138, and the court shall determine the need for
continued intervention.
(((8))) (9) The juvenile court may hear a petition for permanent
legal custody when: (a) The court has ordered implementation of a
permanency plan that includes permanent legal custody; and (b) the
party pursuing the permanent legal custody is the party identified in
the permanency plan as the prospective legal custodian. During the
pendency of such proceeding, the court shall conduct review hearings
and further permanency planning hearings as provided in this chapter.
At the conclusion of the legal guardianship or permanent legal custody
proceeding, a juvenile court hearing shall be held for the purpose of
determining whether dependency should be dismissed. If a guardianship
or permanent custody order has been entered, the dependency shall be
dismissed.
(((9))) (10) Continued juvenile court jurisdiction under this
chapter shall not be a barrier to the entry of an order establishing a
legal guardianship or permanent legal custody when the requirements of
subsection (((8))) (9) of this section are met.
(((10))) (11) Nothing in this chapter may be construed to limit the
ability of the agency that has custody of the child to file a petition
for termination of parental rights or a guardianship petition at any
time following the establishment of dependency. Upon the filing of
such a petition, a fact-finding hearing shall be scheduled and held in
accordance with this chapter unless the department or supervising
agency requests dismissal of the petition prior to the hearing or
unless the parties enter an agreed order terminating parental rights,
establishing guardianship, or otherwise resolving the matter.
(((11))) (12) The approval of a permanency plan that does not
contemplate return of the child to the parent does not relieve the
supervising agency of its obligation to provide reasonable services,
under this chapter, intended to effectuate the return of the child to
the parent, including but not limited to, visitation rights. The court
shall consider the child's relationships with siblings in accordance
with RCW 13.34.130.
(((12))) (13) Nothing in this chapter may be construed to limit the
procedural due process rights of any party in a termination or
guardianship proceeding filed under this chapter.
Sec. 4 RCW 13.34.267 and 2012 c 52 s 4 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) In order to facilitate the delivery of extended foster care
services, the court, upon the agreement of the youth to participate in
the extended foster care program, shall ((postpone for six months the
dismissal of a)) maintain the dependency proceeding for any ((child))
youth who is ((a)) dependent ((child)) in foster care at the age of
eighteen years and who, at the time of his or her eighteenth birthday,
is:
(a) Enrolled in a secondary education program or a secondary
education equivalency program; ((or))
(b) Enrolled and participating in a postsecondary academic or
postsecondary vocational program, or has applied for and can
demonstrate that he or she intends to timely enroll in a postsecondary
academic or postsecondary vocational program; or
(c) Participating in a program or activity designed to promote
employment or remove barriers to employment.
(2) If the court maintains the dependency proceeding of a youth
pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, the youth is eligible to
receive extended foster care services pursuant to RCW 74.13.031,
subject to the youth's continuing eligibility and agreement to
participate.
(3) A dependent youth receiving extended foster care services is a
party to the dependency proceeding. The youth's parent or guardian
must be dismissed from the dependency proceeding when the youth reaches
the age of eighteen.
(4) The court shall dismiss the dependency proceeding for any youth
who is a dependent in foster care and who, at the age of eighteen
years, does not meet any of the criteria described in subsection (1)(a)
through (c) of this section or does not agree to participate in the
program.
(((2)(a) The six-month postponement under this subsection is
intended to allow a reasonable window of opportunity for an eligible
youth who reaches the age of eighteen to request extended foster care
services from the department or supervising agency. The court shall
dismiss the dependency if the youth:))
(i) Has not requested extended foster care services from the
department by the end of the six-month period; or
(ii) Is no longer eligible for extended foster care services under
RCW 74.13.031(10) at any point during the six-month period.
(b) Until the youth requests to participate in the extended foster
care program, the department is relieved of any supervisory
responsibility for the youth.
(3) A youth who participates in extended foster care while
completing a secondary education or equivalency program may continue to
receive extended foster care services for the purpose of participating
in a postsecondary academic or postsecondary vocational education
program if, at the time the secondary education or equivalency program
is completed, the youth has applied to and can demonstrate that he or
she intends to timely enroll in a postsecondary academic or vocational
education program. The dependency shall be dismissed if the youth
fails to timely enroll or continue in the postsecondary program, or
reaches age twenty-one, whichever is earlier.
(4) A youth receiving extended foster care services is a party to
the dependency proceeding. The youth's parent or guardian shall be
dismissed from the dependency proceeding when the youth reaches the age
of eighteen years.
(5) The court shall order a youth participating in extended foster
care services to be under the placement and care authority of the
department, subject to the youth's continuing agreement to participate
in extended foster care services. The department may establish foster
care rates appropriate to the needs of the youth participating in
extended foster care services. The department's placement and care
authority over a youth receiving extended foster care services is
solely for the purpose of providing services and does not create a
legal responsibility for the actions of the youth receiving extended
foster care services.
(6) The court shall appoint counsel to represent a youth, as
defined in RCW 13.34.030(2)(b), in dependency proceedings under this
section.
(7) The case plan for and delivery of services to a youth receiving
extended foster care services is subject to the review requirements set
forth in RCW 13.34.138 and 13.34.145, and should be applied in a
developmentally appropriate manner, as they relate to youth age
eighteen to twenty-one years. Additionally, the court shall consider:
(a) Whether the youth is safe in his or her placement;
(b) Whether the youth continues to be eligible for extended foster
care services;
(c) Whether the current placement is developmentally appropriate
for the youth;
(d) The youth's development of independent living skills; and
(e) The youth's overall progress toward transitioning to full
independence and the projected date for achieving such transition.
(8) Prior to the review hearing, the youth's attorney shall
indicate whether there are any contested issues and may provide
additional information necessary for the court's review.
(((9) Upon the request of the youth, or when the youth is no longer
eligible to receive extended foster care services according to rules
adopted by the department, the court shall dismiss the dependency.))
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 A new section is added to chapter 74.13 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) A youth who has reached age eighteen years may request extended
foster care services authorized under RCW 74.13.031 at any time before
he or she reaches the age of nineteen years if on or after the
effective date of this section:
(a) The dependency proceeding of the youth was dismissed pursuant
to RCW 13.34.267(4) at the time that he or she reached age eighteen
years; or
(b) The court, after holding the dependency case open pursuant to
RCW 13.34.267(1), has dismissed the case because the youth became
ineligible for extended foster care services.
(2)(a) Upon a request for extended foster care services by a youth
pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, a determination that the
youth is eligible for extended foster care services, and the completion
of a voluntary placement agreement, the department shall provide
extended foster care services to the youth.
(b) In order to continue receiving extended foster care services
after entering into a voluntary placement agreement with the
department, the youth must agree to the entry of an order of dependency
within one hundred eighty days of the date that the youth is placed in
foster care pursuant to a voluntary placement agreement.
(3) A youth may enter into a voluntary placement agreement for
extended foster care services only once. A youth may transition among
the eligibility categories identified in RCW 74.13.031 while under the
same voluntary placement agreement, provided that the youth remains
eligible for extended foster care services during the transition.
(4) "Voluntary placement agreement," for the purposes of this
section, means a written voluntary agreement between a nonminor
dependent who agrees to submit to the care and authority of the
department for the purposes of participating in the extended foster
care program.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 A new section is added to chapter 13.34 RCW
to read as follows:
(1)(a) If a youth prior to reaching age nineteen years requests
extended foster care services from the department pursuant to section
5 of this act, and the department declines to enter into a voluntary
placement agreement with the youth, the department must provide written
documentation to the youth which contains:
(i) The date that the youth requested extended foster care
services;
(ii) The department's reasons for declining to enter into a
voluntary placement agreement with the youth and the date of the
department's decision; and
(iii) Information regarding the youth's right to ask the court to
establish a dependency for the purpose of providing extended foster
care services and his or her right to counsel to assist in making that
request.
(b) The written documentation pursuant to (a) of this subsection
must be provided to the youth within ten days of the department's
decision not to enter into a voluntary placement agreement with the
youth.
(2)(a) A youth seeking to participate in extended foster care after
being declined by the department under subsection (1) of this section
may file a notice of intent to file a petition for dependency, asking
the court to determine his or her eligibility for extended foster care
services, and to enter an order of dependency. If the youth chooses to
file such notice, it must be filed within thirty days of the date of
the department's decision.
(b) Upon filing the notice, the youth must be provided counsel at
no cost to him or her. Upon receipt of the youth's petition, the court
must set a hearing date to determine whether the petition should be
granted.
Sec. 7 RCW 74.13.020 and 2012 c 205 s 12 are each amended to read
as follows:
For purposes of this chapter:
(1) "Case management" means convening family meetings, developing,
revising, and monitoring implementation of any case plan or individual
service and safety plan, coordinating and monitoring services needed by
the child and family, caseworker-child visits, family visits, and the
assumption of court-related duties, excluding legal representation,
including preparing court reports, attending judicial hearings and
permanency hearings, and ensuring that the child is progressing toward
permanency within state and federal mandates, including the Indian
child welfare act.
(2) "Child" means:
(a) A person less than eighteen years of age; or
(b) A person age eighteen to twenty-one years who is eligible to
receive the extended foster care services authorized under RCW
74.13.031.
(3) "Child protective services" has the same meaning as in RCW
26.44.020.
(4) "Child welfare services" means social services including
voluntary and in-home services, out-of-home care, case management, and
adoption services which strengthen, supplement, or substitute for,
parental care and supervision for the purpose of:
(a) Preventing or remedying, or assisting in the solution of
problems which may result in families in conflict, or the neglect,
abuse, exploitation, or criminal behavior of children;
(b) Protecting and caring for dependent, abused, or neglected
children;
(c) Assisting children who are in conflict with their parents, and
assisting parents who are in conflict with their children, with
services designed to resolve such conflicts;
(d) Protecting and promoting the welfare of children, including the
strengthening of their own homes where possible, or, where needed;
(e) Providing adequate care of children away from their homes in
foster family homes or day care or other child care agencies or
facilities.
"Child welfare services" does not include child protection
services.
(5) "Committee" means the child welfare transformation design
committee.
(6) "Department" means the department of social and health
services.
(7) "Extended foster care services" means residential and other
support services the department is authorized to provide to foster
children. These services may include((, but are not limited to,))
placement in licensed, relative, or otherwise approved care, or
supervised independent living settings; assistance in meeting basic
needs; independent living services; medical assistance; and counseling
or treatment.
(8) "Measurable effects" means a statistically significant change
which occurs as a result of the service or services a supervising
agency is assigned in a performance-based contract, in time periods
established in the contract.
(9) "Out-of-home care services" means services provided after the
shelter care hearing to or for children in out-of-home care, as that
term is defined in RCW 13.34.030, and their families, including the
recruitment, training, and management of foster parents, the
recruitment of adoptive families, and the facilitation of the adoption
process, family reunification, independent living, emergency shelter,
residential group care, and foster care, including relative placement.
(10) "Performance-based contracting" means the structuring of all
aspects of the procurement of services around the purpose of the work
to be performed and the desired results with the contract requirements
set forth in clear, specific, and objective terms with measurable
outcomes. Contracts shall also include provisions that link the
performance of the contractor to the level and timing of reimbursement.
(11) "Permanency services" means long-term services provided to
secure a child's safety, permanency, and well-being, including foster
care services, family reunification services, adoption services, and
preparation for independent living services.
(12) "Primary prevention services" means services which are
designed and delivered for the primary purpose of enhancing child and
family well-being and are shown, by analysis of outcomes, to reduce the
risk to the likelihood of the initial need for child welfare services.
(13) "Supervising agency" means an agency licensed by the state
under RCW 74.15.090, or licensed by a federally recognized Indian tribe
located in this state under RCW 74.15.190, that has entered into a
performance-based contract with the department to provide case
management for the delivery and documentation of child welfare
services, as defined in this section. This definition is applicable on
or after December 30, 2015.
(14) "Nonminor dependent" means any individual age eighteen to
twenty-one years who is participating in extended foster care services
authorized under RCW 74.13.031.
(15) "Supervised independent living" includes, but is not limited
to, apartment living, room and board arrangements, college or
university dormitories, and shared roommate settings. Supervised
independent living settings must be approved by the children's
administration or the court.
(16) "Voluntary placement agreement" means, for the purposes of
extended foster care services, a written voluntary agreement between a
nonminor dependent who agrees to submit to the care and authority of
the department for the purposes of participating in the extended foster
care program.
Sec. 8 RCW 74.13.020 and 2012 c 259 s 7 and 2012 c 205 s 12 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
For purposes of this chapter:
(1) "Case management" means convening family meetings, developing,
revising, and monitoring implementation of any case plan or individual
service and safety plan, coordinating and monitoring services needed by
the child and family, caseworker-child visits, family visits, and the
assumption of court-related duties, excluding legal representation,
including preparing court reports, attending judicial hearings and
permanency hearings, and ensuring that the child is progressing toward
permanency within state and federal mandates, including the Indian
child welfare act.
(2) "Child" means:
(a) A person less than eighteen years of age; or
(b) A person age eighteen to twenty-one years who is eligible to
receive the extended foster care services authorized under RCW
74.13.031.
(3) "Child protective services" has the same meaning as in RCW
26.44.020.
(4) "Child welfare services" means social services including
voluntary and in-home services, out-of-home care, case management, and
adoption services which strengthen, supplement, or substitute for,
parental care and supervision for the purpose of:
(a) Preventing or remedying, or assisting in the solution of
problems which may result in families in conflict, or the neglect,
abuse, exploitation, or criminal behavior of children;
(b) Protecting and caring for dependent, abused, or neglected
children;
(c) Assisting children who are in conflict with their parents, and
assisting parents who are in conflict with their children, with
services designed to resolve such conflicts;
(d) Protecting and promoting the welfare of children, including the
strengthening of their own homes where possible, or, where needed;
(e) Providing adequate care of children away from their homes in
foster family homes or day care or other child care agencies or
facilities.
"Child welfare services" does not include child protection
services.
(5) "Committee" means the child welfare transformation design
committee.
(6) "Department" means the department of social and health
services.
(7) "Extended foster care services" means residential and other
support services the department is authorized to provide to foster
children. These services include, but are not limited to, placement in
licensed, relative, or otherwise approved care, or supervised
independent living settings; assistance in meeting basic needs;
independent living services; medical assistance; and counseling or
treatment.
(8) "Family assessment" means a comprehensive assessment of child
safety, risk of subsequent child abuse or neglect, and family strengths
and needs that is applied to a child abuse or neglect report. Family
assessment does not include a determination as to whether child abuse
or neglect occurred, but does determine the need for services to
address the safety of the child and the risk of subsequent
maltreatment.
(9) "Measurable effects" means a statistically significant change
which occurs as a result of the service or services a supervising
agency is assigned in a performance-based contract, in time periods
established in the contract.
(10) "Out-of-home care services" means services provided after the
shelter care hearing to or for children in out-of-home care, as that
term is defined in RCW 13.34.030, and their families, including the
recruitment, training, and management of foster parents, the
recruitment of adoptive families, and the facilitation of the adoption
process, family reunification, independent living, emergency shelter,
residential group care, and foster care, including relative placement.
(11) "Performance-based contracting" means the structuring of all
aspects of the procurement of services around the purpose of the work
to be performed and the desired results with the contract requirements
set forth in clear, specific, and objective terms with measurable
outcomes. Contracts shall also include provisions that link the
performance of the contractor to the level and timing of reimbursement.
(12) "Permanency services" means long-term services provided to
secure a child's safety, permanency, and well-being, including foster
care services, family reunification services, adoption services, and
preparation for independent living services.
(13) "Primary prevention services" means services which are
designed and delivered for the primary purpose of enhancing child and
family well-being and are shown, by analysis of outcomes, to reduce the
risk to the likelihood of the initial need for child welfare services.
(14) "Supervising agency" means an agency licensed by the state
under RCW 74.15.090, or licensed by a federally recognized Indian tribe
located in this state under RCW 74.15.190, that has entered into a
performance-based contract with the department to provide case
management for the delivery and documentation of child welfare
services, as defined in this section. This definition is applicable on
or after December 30, 2015.
(15) "Nonminor dependent" means any individual age eighteen to
twenty-one years who is participating in extended foster care services
authorized under RCW 74.13.031.
(16) "Supervised independent living" includes, but is not limited
to, apartment living, room and board arrangements, college or
university dormitories, and shared roommate settings. Supervised
independent living settings must be approved by the children's
administration or the court.
(17) "Voluntary placement agreement" means, for the purposes of
extended foster care services, a written voluntary agreement between a
nonminor dependent who agrees to submit to the care and authority of
the department for the purposes of participating in the extended foster
care program.
Sec. 9 RCW 74.13.031 and 2012 c 52 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The department and supervising agencies shall develop,
administer, supervise, and monitor a coordinated and comprehensive plan
that establishes, aids, and strengthens services for the protection and
care of runaway, dependent, or neglected children.
(2) Within available resources, the department and supervising
agencies shall recruit an adequate number of prospective adoptive and
foster homes, both regular and specialized, i.e. homes for children of
ethnic minority, including Indian homes for Indian children, sibling
groups, handicapped and emotionally disturbed, teens, pregnant and
parenting teens, and the department shall annually report to the
governor and the legislature concerning the department's and
supervising agency's success in: (a) Meeting the need for adoptive and
foster home placements; (b) reducing the foster parent turnover rate;
(c) completing home studies for legally free children; and (d)
implementing and operating the passport program required by RCW
74.13.285. The report shall include a section entitled "Foster Home
Turn-Over, Causes and Recommendations."
(3) The department shall investigate complaints of any recent act
or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in
death, serious physical or emotional harm, or sexual abuse or
exploitation, or that presents an imminent risk of serious harm, and on
the basis of the findings of such investigation, offer child welfare
services in relation to the problem to such parents, legal custodians,
or persons serving in loco parentis, and/or bring the situation to the
attention of an appropriate court, or another community agency. An
investigation is not required of nonaccidental injuries which are
clearly not the result of a lack of care or supervision by the child's
parents, legal custodians, or persons serving in loco parentis. If the
investigation reveals that a crime against a child may have been
committed, the department shall notify the appropriate law enforcement
agency.
(4) The department or supervising agencies shall offer, on a
voluntary basis, family reconciliation services to families who are in
conflict.
(5) The department or supervising agencies shall monitor placements
of children in out-of-home care and in-home dependencies to assure the
safety, well-being, and quality of care being provided is within the
scope of the intent of the legislature as defined in RCW 74.13.010 and
74.15.010. Under this section children in out-of-home care and in-home
dependencies and their caregivers shall receive a private and
individual face-to-face visit each month. The department and the
supervising agencies shall randomly select no less than ten percent of
the caregivers currently providing care to receive one unannounced
face-to-face visit in the caregiver's home per year. No caregiver will
receive an unannounced visit through the random selection process for
two consecutive years. If the caseworker makes a good faith effort to
conduct the unannounced visit to a caregiver and is unable to do so,
that month's visit to that caregiver need not be unannounced. The
department and supervising agencies are encouraged to group monthly
visits to caregivers by geographic area so that in the event an
unannounced visit cannot be completed, the caseworker may complete
other required monthly visits. The department shall use a method of
random selection that does not cause a fiscal impact to the department.
The department or supervising agencies shall conduct the monthly
visits with children and caregivers to whom it is providing child
welfare services.
(6) The department and supervising agencies shall have authority to
accept custody of children from parents and to accept custody of
children from juvenile courts, where authorized to do so under law, to
provide child welfare services including placement for adoption, to
provide for the routine and necessary medical, dental, and mental
health care, or necessary emergency care of the children, and to
provide for the physical care of such children and make payment of
maintenance costs if needed. Except where required by Public Law 95-608 (25 U.S.C. Sec. 1915), no private adoption agency which receives
children for adoption from the department shall discriminate on the
basis of race, creed, or color when considering applications in their
placement for adoption.
(7) The department and supervising agency shall have authority to
provide temporary shelter to children who have run away from home and
who are admitted to crisis residential centers.
(8) The department and supervising agency shall have authority to
purchase care for children.
(9) The department shall establish a children's services advisory
committee with sufficient members representing supervising agencies
which shall assist the secretary in the development of a partnership
plan for utilizing resources of the public and private sectors, and
advise on all matters pertaining to child welfare, licensing of child
care agencies, adoption, and services related thereto. At least one
member shall represent the adoption community.
(10)(a) The department and supervising agencies shall ((have
authority to)) provide continued extended foster care services to
((youth ages eighteen to twenty-one years to participate in or
complete)) nonminor dependents who are:
(i) Enrolled in a secondary education program or a secondary
education equivalency program((, or));
(ii) Enrolled and participating in a postsecondary academic or
postsecondary vocational education program; or
(iii) Participating in a program or activity designed to promote
employment or remove barriers to employment.
(b) To be eligible for extended foster care services, the nonminor
dependent must have been dependent and in foster care at the time that
he or she reached age eighteen years. If the dependency case of the
nonminor dependent was dismissed pursuant to RCW 13.34.267, he or she
may receive extended foster care services pursuant to a voluntary
placement agreement under section 5 of this act or pursuant to an order
of dependency issued by the court under section 6 of this act. A
nonminor dependent whose dependency case was dismissed by the court
must have requested extended foster care services before reaching age
nineteen years.
(c) The department shall develop and implement rules regarding
youth eligibility requirements.
(11) The department shall have authority to provide adoption
support benefits, or relative guardianship subsidies on behalf of youth
ages eighteen to twenty-one years who achieved permanency through
adoption or a relative guardianship at age sixteen or older and who
meet the criteria described in subsection (10) of this section.
(12) The department shall refer cases to the division of child
support whenever state or federal funds are expended for the care and
maintenance of a child, including a child with a developmental
disability who is placed as a result of an action under chapter 13.34
RCW, unless the department finds that there is good cause not to pursue
collection of child support against the parent or parents of the child.
Cases involving individuals age eighteen through twenty shall not be
referred to the division of child support unless required by federal
law.
(13) The department and supervising agencies shall have authority
within funds appropriated for foster care services to purchase care for
Indian children who are in the custody of a federally recognized Indian
tribe or tribally licensed child-placing agency pursuant to parental
consent, tribal court order, or state juvenile court order; and the
purchase of such care shall be subject to the same eligibility
standards and rates of support applicable to other children for whom
the department purchases care.
Notwithstanding any other provision of RCW 13.32A.170 through
13.32A.200 and 74.13.032 through 74.13.036, or of this section all
services to be provided by the department under subsections (4), (6),
and (7) of this section, subject to the limitations of these
subsections, may be provided by any program offering such services
funded pursuant to Titles II and III of the federal juvenile justice
and delinquency prevention act of 1974.
(14) Within amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the
supervising agency or department shall provide preventive services to
families with children that prevent or shorten the duration of an out-of-home placement.
(15) The department and supervising agencies shall have authority
to provide independent living services to youths, including individuals
who have attained eighteen years of age, and have not attained twenty-one years of age who are or have been in foster care.
(16) The department and supervising agencies shall consult at least
quarterly with foster parents, including members of the foster parent
association of Washington state, for the purpose of receiving
information and comment regarding how the department and supervising
agencies are performing the duties and meeting the obligations
specified in this section and RCW 74.13.250 and 74.13.320 regarding the
recruitment of foster homes, reducing foster parent turnover rates,
providing effective training for foster parents, and administering a
coordinated and comprehensive plan that strengthens services for the
protection of children. Consultation shall occur at the regional and
statewide levels.
(17)(a) The department shall, within current funding levels, place
on its public web site a document listing the duties and
responsibilities the department has to a child subject to a dependency
petition including, but not limited to, the following:
(i) Reasonable efforts, including the provision of services, toward
reunification of the child with his or her family;
(ii) Sibling visits subject to the restrictions in RCW
13.34.136(2)(b)(ii);
(iii) Parent-child visits;
(iv) Statutory preference for placement with a relative or other
suitable person, if appropriate; and
(v) Statutory preference for an out-of-home placement that allows
the child to remain in the same school or school district, if practical
and in the child's best interests.
(b) The document must be prepared in conjunction with a community-based organization and must be updated as needed.
Sec. 10 RCW 74.13.031 and 2012 c 259 s 8 and 2012 c 52 s 2 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) The department and supervising agencies shall develop,
administer, supervise, and monitor a coordinated and comprehensive plan
that establishes, aids, and strengthens services for the protection and
care of runaway, dependent, or neglected children.
(2) Within available resources, the department and supervising
agencies shall recruit an adequate number of prospective adoptive and
foster homes, both regular and specialized, i.e. homes for children of
ethnic minority, including Indian homes for Indian children, sibling
groups, handicapped and emotionally disturbed, teens, pregnant and
parenting teens, and the department shall annually report to the
governor and the legislature concerning the department's and
supervising agency's success in: (a) Meeting the need for adoptive and
foster home placements; (b) reducing the foster parent turnover rate;
(c) completing home studies for legally free children; and (d)
implementing and operating the passport program required by RCW
74.13.285. The report shall include a section entitled "Foster Home
Turn-Over, Causes and Recommendations."
(3) The department shall investigate complaints of any recent act
or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in
death, serious physical or emotional harm, or sexual abuse or
exploitation, or that presents an imminent risk of serious harm, and on
the basis of the findings of such investigation, offer child welfare
services in relation to the problem to such parents, legal custodians,
or persons serving in loco parentis, and/or bring the situation to the
attention of an appropriate court, or another community agency. An
investigation is not required of nonaccidental injuries which are
clearly not the result of a lack of care or supervision by the child's
parents, legal custodians, or persons serving in loco parentis. If the
investigation reveals that a crime against a child may have been
committed, the department shall notify the appropriate law enforcement
agency.
(4) As provided in RCW 26.44.030(11), the department may respond to
a report of child abuse or neglect by using the family assessment
response.
(5) The department or supervising agencies shall offer, on a
voluntary basis, family reconciliation services to families who are in
conflict.
(6) The department or supervising agencies shall monitor placements
of children in out-of-home care and in-home dependencies to assure the
safety, well-being, and quality of care being provided is within the
scope of the intent of the legislature as defined in RCW 74.13.010 and
74.15.010. Under this section children in out-of-home care and in-home
dependencies and their caregivers shall receive a private and
individual face-to-face visit each month. The department and the
supervising agencies shall randomly select no less than ten percent of
the caregivers currently providing care to receive one unannounced
face-to-face visit in the caregiver's home per year. No caregiver will
receive an unannounced visit through the random selection process for
two consecutive years. If the caseworker makes a good faith effort to
conduct the unannounced visit to a caregiver and is unable to do so,
that month's visit to that caregiver need not be unannounced. The
department and supervising agencies are encouraged to group monthly
visits to caregivers by geographic area so that in the event an
unannounced visit cannot be completed, the caseworker may complete
other required monthly visits. The department shall use a method of
random selection that does not cause a fiscal impact to the department.
The department or supervising agencies shall conduct the monthly
visits with children and caregivers to whom it is providing child
welfare services.
(7) The department and supervising agencies shall have authority to
accept custody of children from parents and to accept custody of
children from juvenile courts, where authorized to do so under law, to
provide child welfare services including placement for adoption, to
provide for the routine and necessary medical, dental, and mental
health care, or necessary emergency care of the children, and to
provide for the physical care of such children and make payment of
maintenance costs if needed. Except where required by Public Law 95-608 (25 U.S.C. Sec. 1915), no private adoption agency which receives
children for adoption from the department shall discriminate on the
basis of race, creed, or color when considering applications in their
placement for adoption.
(8) The department and supervising agency shall have authority to
provide temporary shelter to children who have run away from home and
who are admitted to crisis residential centers.
(9) The department and supervising agency shall have authority to
purchase care for children.
(10) The department shall establish a children's services advisory
committee with sufficient members representing supervising agencies
which shall assist the secretary in the development of a partnership
plan for utilizing resources of the public and private sectors, and
advise on all matters pertaining to child welfare, licensing of child
care agencies, adoption, and services related thereto. At least one
member shall represent the adoption community.
(11)(a) The department and supervising agencies shall ((have
authority to)) provide continued extended foster care services to
((youth ages eighteen to twenty-one years to participate in or
complete)) nonminor dependents who are:
(i) Enrolled in a secondary education program or a secondary
education equivalency program((, or));
(ii) Enrolled and participating in a postsecondary academic or
postsecondary vocational education program; or
(iii) Participating in a program or activity designed to promote
employment or remove barriers to employment.
(b) To be eligible for extended foster care services, the nonminor
dependent must have been dependent and in foster care at the time that
he or she reached age eighteen years. If the dependency case of the
nonminor dependent was dismissed pursuant to RCW 13.34.267, he or she
may receive extended foster care services pursuant to a voluntary
placement agreement under section 5 of this act or pursuant to an order
of dependency issued by the court under section 6 of this act. A
nonminor dependent whose dependency case was dismissed by the court
must have requested extended foster care services before reaching age
nineteen years.
(c) The department shall develop and implement rules regarding
youth eligibility requirements.
(12) The department shall have authority to provide adoption
support benefits, or relative guardianship subsidies on behalf of youth
ages eighteen to twenty-one years who achieved permanency through
adoption or a relative guardianship at age sixteen or older and who
meet the criteria described in subsection (11) of this section.
(13) The department shall refer cases to the division of child
support whenever state or federal funds are expended for the care and
maintenance of a child, including a child with a developmental
disability who is placed as a result of an action under chapter 13.34
RCW, unless the department finds that there is good cause not to pursue
collection of child support against the parent or parents of the child.
Cases involving individuals age eighteen through twenty shall not be
referred to the division of child support unless required by federal
law.
(14) The department and supervising agencies shall have authority
within funds appropriated for foster care services to purchase care for
Indian children who are in the custody of a federally recognized Indian
tribe or tribally licensed child-placing agency pursuant to parental
consent, tribal court order, or state juvenile court order; and the
purchase of such care shall be subject to the same eligibility
standards and rates of support applicable to other children for whom
the department purchases care.
Notwithstanding any other provision of RCW 13.32A.170 through
13.32A.200 and 74.13.032 through 74.13.036, or of this section all
services to be provided by the department under subsections (4), (7),
and (8) of this section, subject to the limitations of these
subsections, may be provided by any program offering such services
funded pursuant to Titles II and III of the federal juvenile justice
and delinquency prevention act of 1974.
(15) Within amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the
supervising agency or department shall provide preventive services to
families with children that prevent or shorten the duration of an out-of-home placement.
(16) The department and supervising agencies shall have authority
to provide independent living services to youths, including individuals
who have attained eighteen years of age, and have not attained twenty-one years of age who are or have been in foster care.
(17) The department and supervising agencies shall consult at least
quarterly with foster parents, including members of the foster parent
association of Washington state, for the purpose of receiving
information and comment regarding how the department and supervising
agencies are performing the duties and meeting the obligations
specified in this section and RCW 74.13.250 and 74.13.320 regarding the
recruitment of foster homes, reducing foster parent turnover rates,
providing effective training for foster parents, and administering a
coordinated and comprehensive plan that strengthens services for the
protection of children. Consultation shall occur at the regional and
statewide levels.
(18)(a) The department shall, within current funding levels, place
on its public web site a document listing the duties and
responsibilities the department has to a child subject to a dependency
petition including, but not limited to, the following:
(i) Reasonable efforts, including the provision of services, toward
reunification of the child with his or her family;
(ii) Sibling visits subject to the restrictions in RCW
13.34.136(2)(b)(ii);
(iii) Parent-child visits;
(iv) Statutory preference for placement with a relative or other
suitable person, if appropriate; and
(v) Statutory preference for an out-of-home placement that allows
the child to remain in the same school or school district, if practical
and in the child's best interests.
(b) The document must be prepared in conjunction with a community-based organization and must be updated as needed.
Sec. 11 RCW 43.88C.010 and 2012 c 217 s 3 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The caseload forecast council is hereby created. The council
shall consist of two individuals appointed by the governor and four
individuals, one of whom is appointed by the chairperson of each of the
two largest political caucuses in the senate and house of
representatives. The chair of the council shall be selected from among
the four caucus appointees. The council may select such other officers
as the members deem necessary.
(2) The council shall employ a caseload forecast supervisor to
supervise the preparation of all caseload forecasts. As used in this
chapter, "supervisor" means the caseload forecast supervisor.
(3) Approval by an affirmative vote of at least five members of the
council is required for any decisions regarding employment of the
supervisor. Employment of the supervisor shall terminate after each
term of three years. At the end of the first year of each three-year
term the council shall consider extension of the supervisor's term by
one year. The council may fix the compensation of the supervisor. The
supervisor shall employ staff sufficient to accomplish the purposes of
this section.
(4) The caseload forecast council shall oversee the preparation of
and approve, by an affirmative vote of at least four members, the
official state caseload forecasts prepared under RCW 43.88C.020. If
the council is unable to approve a forecast before a date required in
RCW 43.88C.020, the supervisor shall submit the forecast without
approval and the forecast shall have the same effect as if approved by
the council.
(5) A councilmember who does not cast an affirmative vote for
approval of the official caseload forecast may request, and the
supervisor shall provide, an alternative forecast based on assumptions
specified by the member.
(6) Members of the caseload forecast council shall serve without
additional compensation but shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in
accordance with RCW 44.04.120 while attending sessions of the council
or on official business authorized by the council. Nonlegislative
members of the council shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in
accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
(7) "Caseload," as used in this chapter, means:
(a) The number of persons expected to meet entitlement requirements
and require the services of public assistance programs, state
correctional institutions, state correctional noninstitutional
supervision, state institutions for juvenile offenders, the common
school system, long-term care, medical assistance, foster care, and
adoption support;
(b) The number of students who are eligible for the Washington
college bound scholarship program and are expected to attend an
institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.92.030.
(8) The caseload forecast council shall forecast the temporary
assistance for needy families and the working connections child care
programs as a courtesy.
(9) The caseload forecast council shall forecast youth
participating in the extended foster care program pursuant to RCW
74.13.031 separately from other children who are residing in foster
care and who are under eighteen years of age.
(10) Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions
provided in RCW 43.88.020 apply to this chapter.
Sec. 12 RCW 74.13.107 and 2012 c 204 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The child and family reinvestment account is created in the
state treasury. Moneys in the account may be spent only after
appropriation. Moneys in the account may be expended solely for
improving outcomes related to: (a) Safely reducing entry into the
foster care system and preventing reentry; (b) safely increasing
reunifications; (c) achieving permanency for children unable to be
reunified; and (d) improving outcomes for youth who will age out of the
foster care system. Moneys may be expended for shared savings under
performance-based contracts.
(2) Revenues to the child and family reinvestment account consist
of: (a) Savings to the state general fund resulting from reductions in
foster care caseloads and per capita costs, as calculated and
transferred into the account under this section; and (b) any other
public or private funds appropriated to or deposited in the account.
(3)(a) The department of social and health services, in
collaboration with the office of financial management and the caseload
forecast council, shall develop a methodology for calculating the
savings under this section. The methodology must be used for the 2013-2015 fiscal biennium, and for each biennium thereafter. The
methodology must establish a baseline for calculating savings. In
developing the methodology, the department of social and health
services shall incorporate the relevant requirements of any
demonstration waiver granted to the state under P.L. 112-34. The
savings must be based on actual caseload and per capita expenditures.
(b) The caseload and the per capita expenditures for youth in
extended foster care pursuant to RCW 74.13.031 and as determined under
RCW 43.88C.010(9) shall not be included in the following:
(i) The calculation of savings transferred to the account; or
(ii) The capped allocation of the demonstration waiver granted to
the state under P.L. 112-34.
(c) By December 1, 2012, the department of social and health
services shall submit the proposed methodology to the governor and the
appropriate committees of the legislature. The methodology is deemed
approved unless the legislature enacts legislation to modify or reject
the methodology.
(((b))) (d) The department of social and health services shall use
the methodology established in (a) of this subsection to calculate
savings to the state general fund for transfer into the child and
family reinvestment account in fiscal year 2014 and each fiscal year
thereafter. Savings calculated by the department under this section
are not subject to RCW 43.79.460. The department shall report the
amount of the state general fund savings achieved to the office of
financial management and the fiscal committees of the legislature at
the end of each fiscal year. The office of financial management shall
provide notice to the state treasurer of the amount of state general
fund savings, as calculated by the department of social and health
services, for transfer into the child and family reinvestment account.
(((c))) (e) Nothing in this section prohibits (i) the caseload
forecast council from forecasting the foster care caseload under RCW
43.88C.010 or (ii) the department from including maintenance funding in
its budget submittal for caseload costs that exceed the baseline
established in (a) of this subsection.
Sec. 13 RCW 43.131.416 and 2012 c 204 s 5 are each amended to
read as follows:
The following acts or parts of acts, as now existing or hereafter
amended, are each repealed, effective June 30, 2019:
(1) 2012 c 204 s 1 (uncodified);
(2) RCW 74.13.107 and 2013 c ... s 12 (section 12 of this act) &
2012 c 204 s 2; and
(3) RCW 43.135.0341 and 2012 c 204 s 3.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 14 No later than September 1, 2013, the
department of social and health services shall develop recommendations
regarding the needs of dependent youth in juvenile rehabilitation
administration institutions and report those recommendations to the
governor and appropriate legislative committees. The report must
include specific recommendations regarding how these youth may access
services under the extended foster care program. The recommendations
must be developed by the children's administration and the juvenile
rehabilitation administration in consultation with youth who have been
involved with the juvenile rehabilitation administration and
representatives from community stakeholders and the courts.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 15 This act applies prospectively only and not
retroactively. It applies to:
(1) Dependency matters that have an open court case on the
effective date of this section; and
(2) Dependency matters for which a petition is filed on or after
the effective date of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 16 Sections 7 and 9 of this act expire
December 1, 2013.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 17 Sections 8 and 10 of this act take effect
December 1, 2013.