H-860                _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 613

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives K. Wilson, Leonard, Allen, Lewis, Rust, Schoon, Valle, Winsley, Rayburn, P. King and Todd

Read first time 2/4/87 and referred to Committee on Human Services.

AN ACT Relating to children; creating a new section; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     (1) The department of social and health services division of children and family services shall develop a pilot project and award grant money to implement the project for a case management program for at-risk children designed to prevent:  (a) Substance abuse; (b) child abuse; (c) neglect; and (d) delinquency.  A parent education and parenting skills development program for at-risk family  groups will be a core component of the prevention and early intervention service.

          (2) The primary focus of the program shall be the coordination of services to meet the needs of individual at-risk children and their families by an assigned case manager.  The case manager will serve as an advocate and arrange services to protect, to treat, and to assure long-term benefits to the child.  Coordination will continue until the child reaches eighteen years of age.  Coordination shall occur between services and programs offered by county agencies, school districts, the division of juvenile rehabilitation, the division of children and family services, the division of health and rehabilitative services, and any other state or local agencies or programs providing services needed by the child.

          (3) County legislative authorities may bid on the pilot program.  Counties bidding on the pilot program shall identify a central coordinating agency to administer the grant money at the local level, and demonstrate maximum use of local services, cooperative planning and participation among service providers, and community support.

          (4) The county shall form an advisory board representing participating agencies, local government, and citizens to oversee on-going program operation.

          (5) The department of social and health services division of children and family services shall begin awarding grant money January 1, 1988.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     There is appropriated from the general fund to the department of social and health services for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, the sum of one million five hundred thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to carry out the purposes of this act.