S-0381.1

SENATE BILL 5161

BySenators Dhingra, Wellman, Das, Keiser, Palumbo, Wilson, C., McCoy, Liias, and Nguyen

AN ACT Relating to creation of a certified child safety policy; and adding a new section to chapter 43.70 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.70 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The following definitions apply to this section:

(a) "Certified child safety policy" means a policy put in place by a child safety certification provider that meets the minimum standards developed by the child safety certification provider based on the following child safety policy standards:

(i) Screening and selecting employees and volunteers;

(ii) Guidelines on interactions between individuals;

(iii) Monitoring employee and participant behavior;

(iv) Ensuring safe environments;

(v) Responding to inappropriate behavior, breaches in policy, and allegations; and

(vi) Training about child sexual abuse prevention, as described by the United States department of health and human services centers for disease control and prevention;

(b) "Child safety certification provider" means a nongovernmental organization that has experience in reducing the likelihood of child sexual assault and misconduct that is selected by the department to develop a certified child safety policy, certifying that youth recreational organizations have a child safety policy that meets minimum standards and providing assistance to youth recreational organizations in developing and implementing those child safety policies; and

(c) "Youth recreational organizations" means any organization that provides recreational programming to individuals under age eighteen, including private and local government organizations, and any organization contracting with a local government organization for youth recreational programming.

(2) The department shall contract with a child safety certification provider to develop a certified child safety policy for all youth recreational organizations. The minimum standards created by the certified child safety policy shall be used by the child safety certification provider to certify that youth recreational organizations have a child safety policy that meets minimum standards. The minimum standards required for a certified child safety policy must be made available on the public web site of the department by January 1, 2020. All youth recreational organizations are encouraged to work with the child safety certification provider to establish a certified child safety policy.

(3) Beginning July 1, 2020, the department shall select a five county pilot program and collaborate with the child safety certification provider and local governments in that five county region to ensure that all local government youth recreational organizations have established and implemented a certified child safety policy by December 1, 2020. The five county pilot region selected pursuant to this subsection shall include five contiguous counties with a combined population between one million two hundred thousand and one million three hundred thousand.

(4) By December 15, 2020, the department shall report to the appropriate committees of the legislature the following:

(a) A description of the pilot program included in subsection (3) of this section;

(b) A description of the certified child safety policy requirements;

(c) Recommendations regarding implementing the certified child safety policy in all youth recreational organizations statewide; and

(d) After consultation with the department of early learning, recommendations for modifying and implementing a certified child safety policy appropriate for child care providers.

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