Requires respite care to include case aides who provide temporary assistance to foster parents as needed with the overall goal of supporting the parental efforts of the foster parents.

Requires the department of social and health services to contract with a community-based organization in each region to establish a statewide pool of individuals to provide the care.

Requires the state institute for public policy to prepare an outcome evaluation of the respite care.

Requires the court to weigh the importance of establishing timely permanency for a child when considering a request for continuance of a review hearing or a permanency planning hearing and grant a continuance only after making a finding that the continuance is in the best interest of the child.

Authorizes the secretary of the department of social and health services, in order to encourage adoption of children between the ages of fourteen and eighteen, to include continued eligibility for the Washington college bound scholarship as part of a new negotiated adoption agreement.

Requires the governor to regularly acknowledge the contributions of foster parents to the state with, at a minimum, a letter signed by the governor.

Creates the foster parent shared leave pool to allow employees to donate leave to be used as shared leave for an employee who is a foster parent needing to care for or preparing to accept a foster child in their home.

Creates the child welfare system improvement account.

Repeals the child and family reinvestment account.