SENATE BILL REPORT

E2SSB 5252

BYSenate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Bailey, Saling, Gaspard, Lee, Kiskaddon, von Reichbauer, Zimmerman, Bender, Rinehart, Bauer, Smitherman, Vognild, Nelson, Johnson and Moore)

Establishing a primary prevention program for child abuse and neglect.

Senate Committee on Education

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 22, 1987; January 26, 1987

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5252 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and refer to Committee on Ways & Means.

      Signed by Senators Gaspard, Chairman; Bauer, Vice Chairman; Rinehart, Vice Chairman; Bailey, Bender, Benitz, Craswell, Patterson, Saling, Smitherman, Warnke.

Senate Staff:Larry Davis (786-7422)

                  February 24, 1987

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Senate Hearing Date(s):February 10, 1987; February 11, 1987

Majority Report:  That Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5252 be substituted therefor, and the second substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators McDermott, Chairman; Gaspard, Vice Chairman; Bauer, Lee, McDonald, Moore, Owen, Rasmussen, Saling, Talmadge, Williams, Wojahn.

Senate Staff:Suzanne Petersen (786-7715)

                  April 16, 1987

AS PASSED SENATE, MARCH 16, 1987

BACKGROUND:

Child abuse and neglect is recognized as a serious social problem.  Current law requires professional school personnel (including teachers, counselors, administrators, and school nurses), child care facility personnel, social workers, psychologists, registered or licensed nurses, pharmacists, and practitioners (including dentists, optometrists, and physicians) to report suspected incidents of child abuse within 48 hours to the proper law enforcement agency or to the Department of Social and Health Services.  It is suggested that a coordinated child abuse and neglect prevention program can help respond to this important issue.

SUMMARY:

Legislative intent is to make education and training on child abuse and neglect prevention available to children, parents, school employees, and licensed day care providers.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is the lead agency among OSPI, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), and the Department of Community Development (DCD) for selecting, implementing, and administering a coordinated primary prevention program for child abuse and neglect.

Under the coordinated program, primary responsibility for the provision of child abuse and neglect education for preschool age children and their parents is granted to DSHS, for children served by state licensed day care providers, and to DCD, for children participating in the state early childhood education and assistance program and the federal Head Start program.  The OSPI shall be responsible for the provision of child abuse and neglect education and training within the common school system (K-12).

The OSPI, the DSHS, and the DCD are directed, prior to selection of the primary prevention program, to consider a number of possible elements for inclusion in the program, including:  workshops on child abuse and neglect issues for children, parents and teachers; training for licensed day care providers, and child safety training.  Training methods may include printed materials, telecommunications, orientations, and workshops.  Parents must be notified of the primary prevention program and may refuse their children's participation in the program.

School districts are encouraged to provide child abuse and neglect education and training to students at least three times during a student's school career.  The primary prevention program shall not be part of the basic program of education the state must fund.

Each school district is required to develop a written policy regarding the district's role and responsibility relating to the prevention of child abuse and neglect.  Each district is directed to give priority consideration to participating in the state primary prevention program, or developing and implementing their own program, or continuing with an existing local child abuse and neglect education and prevention program.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is required to share with the DSHS and the DCD information about child abuse and neglect curriculum, which must be collected and disseminated by SPI through the state clearinghouse for education information, and the DSHS and the DCD are required to share relevant information with the OSPI.

A task force on education on the problems of child sexual abuse is created with members appointed by the Governor.  The task force is to develop by June 30, 1988, a course to educate protective service workers, law enforcement officers, judges, school counselors, educators, and others about the profile of an offender who sexually abuses children and the short- and long-term effects of sexual abuse on a child and the child's family.

The task force must develop a plan for statewide distribution of the course and the task force will expire on June 30, 1988.

Appropriation:    $225,000 for the Superintendent of Public Instruction; $125,000 for the Department of Social and Health Services; $25,000 for the Department of Community Development.

Fiscal Note:      available

Senate Committee - Testified: EDUCATION:  Senator Cliff Bailey, sponsor; Seth Dawson, Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney; Bruce Agnew, Chairman, Snohomish County Council; Shirley Johnson, parent; Bill France, Open Door Theatre; Mary Frost, Department of Community Development; Judy Hartmann, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; Karen Tvedt, Department of Social and Health Services

Senate Committee - Testified: WAYS & MEANS:  Senator Bailey, sponsor; Seth Dawson, Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney; Bruce Agnew, Snohomish County Council; Kit Tokuda, Executive Director, Washington Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect; Alice Ray-Keil, Executive Director, Committee for Children

HOUSE AMENDMENTS:

The sections of the bill delineating the responsibilities of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Department of Social and Health Services, and the Department of Community Development are rewritten but the substance of the sections is not affected.

School districts are required, within the resources available to them, to participate in the primary prevention program established by the bill, or develop and implement their own program, or continue with an existing local program.

The Department of Social and Health Services may limit training, to parents and licensed child day care providers of preschool age children, to trainers' workshops and curriculum development using existing resources.

Background intent language and the appropriation section are deleted.