H-2459 _______________________________________________
SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 586
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State of Washington 50th Legislature 1987 Regular Session
By House Committee on Ways & Means/Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Scott, Lewis, Brekke, Winsley, Leonard, Brough, Betrozoff, R. King, Doty, P. King, Todd, Unsoeld and May)
Read first time 3/9/87 and passed to Committee on Rules.
AN ACT Relating to child abuse and neglect; adding a new chapter to Title 26 RCW; creating a new section; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that the protection and positive development of children is paramount to the successful functioning and future of a civilized society. It is the intent of the legislature that this goal be supported by continued efforts to prevent child maltreatment.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. Caseworkers employed in children services shall meet minimum standards established by the department. Comprehensive training for caseworkers shall be completed before such caseworkers are assigned to case-carrying responsibilities without direct supervision. Intermittent, part-time, and standby workers shall be subject to the same minimum standards and training.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The department shall provide materials and, if needed, instructors to the office of the administrator for the courts, the office of administrative hearings, and the criminal justice training commission so that personnel trained by these agencies shall receive instruction in recognition of child abuse and neglect if said personnel play a role in the investigation, prosecution, defense, or adjudication of juvenile delinquency and dependency cases and in the areas of child abuse and neglect.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The department shall provide foster parent training as an ongoing part of the foster care program. The department shall contract for a variety of support services to foster parents to reduce isolation and stress, and to increase skills and confidence. This shall include, but not be limited to, respite care to enable foster parents to attend training and conferences, a twenty-four hour toll free telephone hot-line for problem solving, foster parent support groups led by paid peer trainees as a follow-up to the training, and technical assistance for the foster parent association of Washington state for such matters as grant writing, budget management, organizational efforts, bookkeeping, networking, planning, and child care.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The department shall establish and maintain one or more multidisciplinary teams in each state region of the division of children and family services. The team shall consist of at least four persons, selected by the department, from professions which provide services to abused and neglected children and/or the parents of such children. The community multidisciplinary team must meet for the purpose of assisting agencies responsible for the provision of child protective services in the identification, treatment, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. The teams shall be available for consultation on all cases where a risk exists of serious harm to the child, cases where there is dispute over whether out-of-home placement is appropriate, and for any cases that the caseworker feels consultation with the team would be of assistance.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Sections 2 through 5 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 26 RCW.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect July 1, 1987.