AN ACT Relating to information sharing regarding implementation the homeless youth prevention and protection act of 2015; amending RCW 43.185C.010, 43.185C.250, 43.185C.260, 43.185C.285, 43.185C.295, 43.185C.315, and 43.185C.320; and reenacting and amending RCW 13.50.010.

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

Sec. 1.  RCW 13.50.010 and 2016 c 93 s 2, 2016 c 72 s 109, and 2016 c 71 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) For purposes of this chapter:

(a) "Good faith effort to pay" means a juvenile offender has either (i) paid the principal amount in full; (ii) made at least eighty percent of the value of full monthly payments within the period from disposition or deferred disposition until the time the amount of restitution owed is under review; or (iii) can show good cause why he or she paid an amount less than eighty percent of the value of full monthly payments;

(b) "Juvenile justice or care agency" means any of the following: Police, diversion units, court, prosecuting attorney, defense attorney, detention center, attorney general, the legislative children's oversight committee, the office of the family and children's ombuds, the department of social and health services and its contracting agencies, schools; persons or public or private agencies having children committed to their custody; and any placement oversight committee created under RCW 72.05.415;

(c) "Official juvenile court file" means the legal file of the juvenile court containing the petition or information, motions, memorandums, briefs, notices of hearing or appearance, service documents, witness and exhibit lists, findings of the court and court orders, agreements, judgments, decrees, notices of appeal, as well as documents prepared by the clerk, including court minutes, letters, warrants, waivers, affidavits, declarations, invoices, and the index to clerk papers;

(d) "Records" means the official juvenile court file, the social file, and records of any other juvenile justice or care agency in the case;

(e) "Social file" means the juvenile court file containing the records and reports of the probation counselor.

(2) Each petition or information filed with the court may include only one juvenile and each petition or information shall be filed under a separate docket number. The social file shall be filed separately from the official juvenile court file.

(3) It is the duty of any juvenile justice or care agency to maintain accurate records. To this end:

(a) The agency may never knowingly record inaccurate information. Any information in records maintained by the department of social and health services relating to a petition filed pursuant to chapter 13.34 RCW that is found by the court to be false or inaccurate shall be corrected or expunged from such records by the agency;

(b) An agency shall take reasonable steps to assure the security of its records and prevent tampering with them; and

(c) An agency shall make reasonable efforts to insure the completeness of its records, including action taken by other agencies with respect to matters in its files.

(4) Each juvenile justice or care agency shall implement procedures consistent with the provisions of this chapter to facilitate inquiries concerning records.

(5) Any person who has reasonable cause to believe information concerning that person is included in the records of a juvenile justice or care agency and who has been denied access to those records by the agency may make a motion to the court for an order authorizing that person to inspect the juvenile justice or care agency record concerning that person. The court shall grant the motion to examine records unless it finds that in the interests of justice or in the best interests of the juvenile the records or parts of them should remain confidential.

(6) A juvenile, or his or her parents, or any person who has reasonable cause to believe information concerning that person is included in the records of a juvenile justice or care agency may make a motion to the court challenging the accuracy of any information concerning the moving party in the record or challenging the continued possession of the record by the agency. If the court grants the motion, it shall order the record or information to be corrected or destroyed.

(7) The person making a motion under subsection (5) or (6) of this section shall give reasonable notice of the motion to all parties to the original action and to any agency whose records will be affected by the motion.

(8) The court may permit inspection of records by, or release of information to, any clinic, hospital, or agency which has the subject person under care or treatment. The court may also permit inspection by or release to individuals or agencies, including juvenile justice advisory committees of county law and justice councils, engaged in legitimate research for educational, scientific, or public purposes. Each person granted permission to inspect juvenile justice or care agency records for research purposes shall present a notarized statement to the court stating that the names of juveniles and parents will remain confidential.

(9) The court shall release to the caseload forecast council the records needed for its research and data-gathering functions. Access to caseload forecast data may be permitted by the council for research purposes only if the anonymity of all persons mentioned in the records or information will be preserved.

(10) Juvenile detention facilities shall release records to the caseload forecast council upon request. The commission shall not disclose the names of any juveniles or parents mentioned in the records without the named individual's written permission.

(11) Requirements in this chapter relating to the court's authority to compel disclosure shall not apply to the legislative children's oversight committee or the office of the family and children's ombuds.

(12) For the purpose of research only, the administrative office of the courts shall maintain an electronic research copy of all records in the judicial information system related to juveniles. Access to the research copy is restricted to the administrative office of the courts for research purposes as authorized by the supreme court or by state statute. The administrative office of the courts shall maintain the confidentiality of all confidential records and shall preserve the anonymity of all persons identified in the research copy. Data contained in the research copy may be shared with other governmental agencies as authorized by state statute, pursuant to data-sharing and research agreements, and consistent with applicable security and confidentiality requirements. The research copy may not be subject to any records retention schedule and must include records destroyed or removed from the judicial information system pursuant to RCW 13.50.270 and 13.50.100(3).

(13) The court shall release to the Washington state office of public defense records needed to implement the agency's oversight, technical assistance, and other functions as required by RCW 2.70.020. Access to the records used as a basis for oversight, technical assistance, or other agency functions is restricted to the Washington state office of public defense. The Washington state office of public defense shall maintain the confidentiality of all confidential information included in the records.

(14) The court shall release to the Washington state office of civil legal aid records needed to implement the agency's oversight, technical assistance, and other functions as required by RCW 2.53.045. Access to the records used as a basis for oversight, technical assistance, or other agency functions is restricted to the Washington state office of civil legal aid. The Washington state office of civil legal aid shall maintain the confidentiality of all confidential information included in the records, and shall, as soon as possible, destroy any retained notes or records obtained under this section that are not necessary for its functions related to RCW 2.53.045.

(15) For purposes of providing for the educational success of youth in foster care, the department of social and health services may disclose only those confidential child welfare records that pertain to or may assist with meeting the educational needs of foster youth to another state agency or state agency's contracted provider responsible under state law or contract for assisting foster youth to attain educational success. The records retain their confidentiality pursuant to this chapter and federal law and cannot be further disclosed except as allowed under this chapter and federal law.

Sec. 2.  RCW 43.185C.010 and 2015 c 69 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Administrator" means the individual who has the daily administrative responsibility of a crisis residential center.

(2) "Child in need of services petition" means a petition filed in juvenile court by a parent, child, or the department of social and health services seeking adjudication of placement of the child.

(3) "Community action agency" means a nonprofit private or public organization established under the economic opportunity act of 1964.

(4) "Crisis residential center" means a secure or semi-secure facility established pursuant to chapter 74.13 RCW.

(5) "Department" means the department of commerce.

(6) "Director" means the director of the department of commerce.

(7) "Home security fund account" means the state treasury account receiving the state's portion of income from revenue from the sources established by RCW 36.22.179, RCW 36.22.1791, and all other sources directed to the homeless housing and assistance program.

(8) "Homeless housing grant program" means the vehicle by which competitive grants are awarded by the department, utilizing moneys from the home security fund account, to local governments for programs directly related to housing homeless individuals and families, addressing the root causes of homelessness, preventing homelessness, collecting data on homeless individuals, and other efforts directly related to housing homeless persons.

(9) "Homeless housing plan" means the ten-year plan developed by the county or other local government to address housing for homeless persons.

(10) "Homeless housing program" means the program authorized under this chapter as administered by the department at the state level and by the local government or its designated subcontractor at the local level.

(11) "Homeless housing strategic plan" means the ten-year plan developed by the department, in consultation with the interagency council on homelessness and the affordable housing advisory board.

(12) "Homeless person" means an individual living outside or in a building not meant for human habitation or which they have no legal right to occupy, in an emergency shelter, or in a temporary housing program which may include a transitional and supportive housing program if habitation time limits exist. This definition includes substance abusers, people with mental illness, and sex offenders who are homeless.

(13) "HOPE center" means an agency licensed by the secretary of the department of social and health services to provide temporary residential placement and other services to street youth. A street youth may remain in a HOPE center for thirty days while services are arranged and permanent placement is coordinated. No street youth may stay longer than thirty days unless approved by the department and any additional days approved by the department must be based on the unavailability of a long-term placement option. A street youth whose parent wants him or her returned to home may remain in a HOPE center until his or her parent arranges return of the youth, not longer. All other street youth must have court approval under chapter 13.34 or 13.32A RCW to remain in a HOPE center up to thirty days.

(14) "Housing authority" means any of the public corporations created by chapter 35.82 RCW.

(15) "Housing continuum" means the progression of individuals along a housing-focused continuum with homelessness at one end and homeownership at the other.

(16) "Interagency council on homelessness" means a committee appointed by the governor and consisting of, at least, policy level representatives of the following entities: (a) The department of commerce; (b) the department of corrections; (c) the department of social and health services; (d) the department of veterans affairs; and (e) the department of health.

(17) "Local government" means a county government in the state of Washington or a city government, if the legislative authority of the city affirmatively elects to accept the responsibility for housing homeless persons within its borders.

(18) "Local homeless housing task force" means a voluntary local committee created to advise a local government on the creation of a local homeless housing plan and participate in a local homeless housing program. It must include a representative of the county, a representative of the largest city located within the county, at least one homeless or formerly homeless person, such other members as may be required to maintain eligibility for federal funding related to housing programs and services and if feasible, a representative of a private nonprofit organization with experience in low-income housing.

(19) "Long-term private or public housing" means subsidized and unsubsidized rental or owner-occupied housing in which there is no established time limit for habitation of less than two years.

(20) "Performance measurement" means the process of comparing specific measures of success against ultimate and interim goals.

(21) "Secure facility" means a crisis residential center, or portion thereof, that has locking doors, locking windows, or a secured perimeter, designed and operated to prevent a child from leaving without permission of the facility staff.

(22) "Semi-secure facility" means any facility including, but not limited to, crisis residential centers or specialized foster family homes, operated in a manner to reasonably assure that youth placed there will not run away. Pursuant to rules established by ((the department,)) the facility administrator, the facility administrator shall establish reasonable hours for residents to come and go from the facility such that no residents are free to come and go at all hours of the day and night. To prevent residents from taking unreasonable actions, the facility administrator, where appropriate, may condition a resident's leaving the facility upon the resident being accompanied by the administrator or the administrator's designee and the resident may be required to notify the administrator or the administrator's designee of any intent to leave, his or her intended destination, and the probable time of his or her return to the center.

(23) "Staff secure facility" means a structured group care facility licensed under rules adopted by the department of social and health services with a ratio of at least one adult staff member to every two children.

(24) "Washington homeless census" means an annual statewide census conducted as a collaborative effort by towns, cities, counties, community-based organizations, and state agencies, with the technical support and coordination of the department, to count and collect data on all homeless individuals in Washington.

(25) "Washington homeless client management information system" means a database of information about homeless individuals in the state used to coordinate resources to assist homeless clients to obtain and retain housing and reach greater levels of self-sufficiency or economic independence when appropriate, depending upon their individual situations.

Sec. 3.  RCW 43.185C.250 and 2015 c 69 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) The administrator of a crisis residential center may convene a multidisciplinary team, which is to be locally based and administered, at the request of a child placed at the center or the child's parent.

(b) If the administrator has reasonable cause to believe that a child is a child in need of services and the parent is unavailable or unwilling to continue efforts to maintain the family structure, the administrator shall immediately convene a multidisciplinary team.

(c) A parent may disband a team twenty-four hours, excluding weekends and holidays, after receiving notice of formation of the team under (b) of this subsection unless a petition has been filed under RCW 13.32A.140. If a petition has been filed the parent may not disband the team until the hearing is held under RCW 13.32A.179. The court may allow the team to continue if an out-of-home placement is ordered under RCW 13.32A.179(3). Upon the filing of an at-risk youth or dependency petition the team shall cease to exist, unless the parent requests continuation of the team or unless the out-of-home placement was ordered under RCW 13.32A.179(3).

(2) The ((administrator)) department shall request participation of appropriate state agencies to assist in the coordination and delivery of services through the multidisciplinary teams. Those agencies that agree to participate shall provide the ((secretary)) director or the director's designee all information necessary to facilitate forming a multidisciplinary team and the ((administrator)) director or the director's designee shall provide this information to the administrator of each crisis residential center.

(3) The administrator shall also seek participation from representatives of mental health and drug and alcohol treatment providers as appropriate.

(4) A parent shall be advised of the request to form a multidisciplinary team and may select additional members of the multidisciplinary team. The parent or child may request any person or persons to participate including, but not limited to, educators, law enforcement personnel, court personnel, family therapists, licensed health care practitioners, social service providers, youth residential placement providers, other family members, church representatives, and members of their own community. The administrator shall assist in obtaining the prompt participation of persons requested by the parent or child.

(5) When an administrator of a crisis residential center requests the formation of a team, the state agencies must respond as soon as possible.

Sec. 4.  RCW 43.185C.260 and 2015 c 69 s 13 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A law enforcement officer shall take a child into custody:

(a) If a law enforcement agency has been contacted by the parent of the child that the child is absent from parental custody without consent; or

(b) If a law enforcement officer reasonably believes, considering the child's age, the location, and the time of day, that a child is in circumstances which constitute a danger to the child's safety or that a child is violating a local curfew ordinance; or

(c) If an agency legally charged with the supervision of a child has notified a law enforcement agency that the child has run away from placement; or

(d) If a law enforcement agency has been notified by the juvenile court that the court finds probable cause exists to believe that the child has violated a court placement order issued under this chapter or chapter 13.34 RCW or that the court has issued an order for law enforcement pick-up of the child under this chapter or chapter 13.34 RCW.

(2) Law enforcement custody shall not extend beyond the amount of time reasonably necessary to transport the child to a destination authorized by law and to place the child at that destination. Law enforcement custody continues until the law enforcement officer transfers custody to a person, agency, or other authorized entity under this chapter, or releases the child because no placement is available. Transfer of custody is not complete unless the person, agency, or entity to whom the child is released agrees to accept custody.

(3) If a law enforcement officer takes a child into custody pursuant to either subsection (1)(a) or (b) of this section and transports the child to a crisis residential center, the officer shall, within twenty-four hours of delivering the child to the center, provide to the center a written report detailing the reasons the officer took the child into custody. The center shall provide the department of social and health services with a copy of the officer's report if the youth is in the care of or receiving services from the department of social and health services children's administration.

(4) If the law enforcement officer who initially takes the juvenile into custody or the staff of the crisis residential center have reasonable cause to believe that the child is absent from home because he or she is abused or neglected, a report shall be made immediately to the department of social and health services.

(5) Nothing in this section affects the authority of any political subdivision to make regulations concerning the conduct of minors in public places by ordinance or other local law.

(6) If a law enforcement officer has a reasonable suspicion that a child is being unlawfully harbored in violation of RCW 13.32A.080, the officer shall remove the child from the custody of the person harboring the child and shall transport the child to one of the locations specified in RCW 43.185C.265.

(7) No child may be placed in a secure facility except as provided in this chapter.

Sec. 5.  RCW 43.185C.285 and 2015 c 69 s 17 are each amended to read as follows:

The administrator of a crisis residential center shall notify parents((,)) and the appropriate law enforcement agency((, and the department of social and health services immediately)) as to any unauthorized leave from the center by a child placed at the center. The administrator shall also notify the department of social and health services immediately as to any unauthorized leave from the center by a child who is in the care of or receiving services from the department of social and health services children's administration.

Sec. 6.  RCW 43.185C.295 and 2015 c 69 s 19 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The department shall establish, through performance-based contracts with private or public vendors, regional crisis residential centers with semi-secure facilities. These facilities shall be structured group care facilities licensed under rules adopted by the department of social and health services and shall have an average of at least four adult staff members and in no event less than three adult staff members to every eight children.

(2) Crisis residential centers must record client information into a homeless management information system specified by the department.

(3) Within available funds appropriated for this purpose, the department shall establish, through performance-based contracts with private or public vendors, regional crisis residential centers with secure facilities. These facilities shall be facilities licensed under rules adopted by the department of social and health services. These centers may also include semi-secure facilities and to such extent shall be subject to subsection (1) of this section.

(4) The department shall, in addition to the facilities established under subsections (1) and (2) of this section, establish additional crisis residential centers pursuant to performance-based contracts with licensed private group care facilities.

(5) The department is authorized to allow contracting entities to include a combination of secure or semi-secure crisis residential centers as defined in RCW 13.32A.030 and/or HOPE centers pursuant to RCW 43.185C.315 in the same building or structure. The department of social and health services shall permit the colocation of these centers only if the entity operating the facility agrees to designate a particular number of beds to each type of center that is located within the building or structure.

(6) The staff at the facilities established under this section shall be trained so that they may effectively counsel juveniles admitted to the centers, provide treatment, supervision, and structure to the juveniles that recognize the need for support and the varying circumstances that cause children to leave their families, and carry out the responsibilities stated in RCW 43.185C.280.

(7) The secure facilities located within crisis residential centers shall be operated to conform with the definition in RCW 13.32A.030. The facilities shall have an average of no less than one adult staff member to every ten children. The staffing ratio shall continue to ensure the safety of the children.

(8) If a secure crisis residential center is located in or adjacent to a secure juvenile detention facility, the center shall be operated in a manner that prevents in-person contact between the residents of the center and the persons held in such facility.

Sec. 7.  RCW 43.185C.315 and 2016 c 205 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The department shall establish HOPE centers that provide no more than seventy-five beds across the state and may establish HOPE centers by contract, within funds appropriated by the legislature specifically for this purpose. HOPE centers shall be operated in a manner to reasonably assure that street youth placed there will not run away. ((Street youth may leave a HOPE center during the course of the day to attend school or other necessary appointments, but the street youth must be accompanied by an administrator or an administrator's designee. The street youth must provide the administration with specific information regarding his or her destination and expected time of return to the HOPE center.)) Pursuant to rules established by the facility administrator, residents may come and go from the facility at reasonable hours such that no residents are free to come and go at all hours of the day and night. The facility administrator, where appropriate, may condition a resident's leaving the facility upon the resident being accompanied by the administrator or the administrator's designee and the resident may be required to notify the administrator or the administrator's designee of any intent to leave, his or her intended destination, and the probable time of his or her return to the HOPE center. Any street youth who runs away from a HOPE center shall not be readmitted unless specifically authorized by the street youth's placement and liaison specialist, and the placement and liaison specialist shall document with specific factual findings an appropriate basis for readmitting any street youth to a HOPE center. HOPE centers are required to have the following:

(a) A license issued by the department of social and health services;

(b) A professional with a master's degree in counseling, social work, or related field and at least one year of experience working with street youth or a bachelor of arts degree in social work or a related field and five years of experience working with street youth. This professional staff person may be contractual or a part-time employee, but must be available to work with street youth in a HOPE center at a ratio of one to every fifteen youth staying in a HOPE center. This professional shall be known as a placement and liaison specialist. Preference shall be given to those professionals cross-credentialed in mental health and chemical dependency. The placement and liaison specialist shall:

(i) Conduct an assessment of the street youth that includes a determination of the street youth's legal status regarding residential placement;

(ii) Facilitate the street youth's return to his or her legally authorized residence at the earliest possible date or initiate processes to arrange legally authorized appropriate placement. Any street youth who may meet the definition of dependent child under RCW 13.34.030 must be referred to the department of social and health services. The department of social and health services shall determine whether a dependency petition should be filed under chapter 13.34 RCW. A shelter care hearing must be held within seventy-two hours to authorize out-of-home placement for any youth the department of social and health services determines is appropriate for out-of-home placement under chapter 13.34 RCW. All of the provisions of chapter 13.32A RCW must be followed for children in need of services or at-risk youth;

(iii) Interface with other relevant resources and system representatives to secure long-term residential placement and other needed services for the street youth;

(iv) Be assigned immediately to each youth and meet with the youth within eight hours of the youth receiving HOPE center services;

(v) Facilitate a physical examination of any street youth who has not seen a physician within one year prior to residence at a HOPE center and facilitate evaluation by a county-designated mental health professional, a chemical dependency specialist, or both if appropriate; and

(vi) Arrange an educational assessment to measure the street youth's competency level in reading, writing, and basic mathematics, and that will measure learning disabilities or special needs;

(c) Staff trained in development needs of street youth as determined by the department, including an administrator who is a professional with a master's degree in counseling, social work, or a related field and at least one year of experience working with street youth, or a bachelor of arts degree in social work or a related field and five years of experience working with street youth, who must work with the placement and liaison specialist to provide appropriate services on site;

(d) A data collection system that measures outcomes for the population served, and enables research and evaluation that can be used for future program development and service delivery. Data collection systems must have confidentiality rules and protocols developed by the department;

(e) Notification requirements that meet the notification requirements of chapter 13.32A RCW. The youth's arrival date and time must be logged at intake by HOPE center staff. The staff must immediately notify law enforcement and dependency caseworkers if a street youth runs away from a HOPE center. A child may be transferred to a secure facility as defined in RCW 13.32A.030 whenever the staff reasonably believes that a street youth is likely to leave the HOPE center and not return after full consideration of the factors set forth in RCW 43.185C.290(2)(a) (i) and (ii). The street youth's temporary placement in the HOPE center must be authorized by the court or the secretary of the department of social and health services if the youth is a dependent of the state under chapter 13.34 RCW or the department of social and health services is responsible for the youth under chapter 13.32A RCW, or by the youth's parent or legal custodian, until such time as the parent can retrieve the youth who is returning to home;

(f) HOPE centers must identify to the department of social and health services any street youth it serves who is not returning promptly to home. The department of social and health services then must contact the missing children's clearinghouse identified in chapter 13.60 RCW and either report the youth's location or report that the youth is the subject of a dependency action and the parent should receive notice from the department of social and health services; and

(g) Services that provide counseling and education to the street youth.

(2) The department shall award contracts for the operation of HOPE center beds with the goal of facilitating the coordination of services provided for youth by such programs and those services provided by secure and semi-secure crisis residential centers.

(3) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the department must incrementally increase the number of available HOPE beds by at least seventeen beds in fiscal year 2017, at least seventeen beds in fiscal year 2018, and at least seventeen beds in fiscal year 2019, such that by July 1, 2019, seventy-five HOPE beds are established and operated throughout the state as set forth in subsection (1) of this section.

(4) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the beds available in HOPE centers shall be increased incrementally beyond the limit of seventy-five set forth in subsection (1) of this section. The additional capacity shall be distributed around the state based upon need and, to the extent feasible, shall be geographically situated so that HOPE beds are available across the state. In determining the need for increased numbers of HOPE beds in a particular county or counties, one of the considerations should be the volume of truancy petitions filed there.

Sec. 8.  RCW 43.185C.320 and 2016 c 205 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:

To be eligible for placement in a HOPE center, a minor must be either a street youth, as that term is defined in this chapter, or a youth who, without placement in a HOPE center, will continue to participate in increasingly risky behavior, including truancy. Youth may also self-refer to a HOPE center. ((Payment for a HOPE center bed is not contingent upon prior approval by the department; however, approval from the department of social and health services is needed if the youth is dependent under chapter 13.34 RCW.))

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