SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5765
BYSenators Talmadge, Rasmussen, Smitherman, Conner, Stratton and Vognild
Regarding children and family services.
Senate Committee on Children & Family Services
Senate Hearing Date(s):February 16, 1989
Senate Staff:Carol Pedigo (786-7417)
AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 1989
BACKGROUND:
Social services to children and their families are fragmented, and the current programs extremely overloaded. The state lacks a method to unify services and develop a comprehensive plan, which is needed to begin emphasizing prevention and treatment instead of crisis intervention.
Although current law requires that children stay no longer than 72 hours in a crisis residential center (CRC), many children remain in CRC's much longer. This is due to a lack of alternative placements especially for those children with serious emotional or behavioral conditions. Experts believe children who do not receive assistance with the conditions causing them to leave home end up on the streets where there currently are almost no programs to help them. Often they deteriorate to the point they are never able to lead productive lives.
It is current practice for Child Protective Services to investigate incidents of abuse only when the abuser is a family member, legal custodian, or staff of a licensed facility. If CPS receives a report of abuse perpetrated by another person, they make the report to the police who then investigate.
SUMMARY:
A Department of Children and Family Services is created. It will include the existing Department of Social and Health Services Division of Children and Family Services, the Division of Juvenile Rehabilitation and the Divisions of Health, Mental Health, and Developmental Disabilities and the Bureau of Alcohol and Substance Abuse to the extent that they serve children.
A central case management system shall be developed to provide coordinated information on each child. Specific requirements for each child's plan are listed.
A nine member advisory council to the new department is established.
Each county is authorized to submit a biennial needs assessment and service plan that incorporates all services provided by the county consistent with state minimum standards. The department will provide grants to the counties based on the plans. The counties will contract with and monitor local service providers with at least 95 percent of their state grant. Portions of the remaining 5 percent may be used for community pilot projects, including prevention and early intervention programs.
The Juvenile Disposition Standards Commission, the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and the Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect are reestablished under the new department.
The Governor is to appoint the secretary of the department who is responsible for developing a six year, long-range plan to provide services to children.
Members of the clergy are added to those persons who are required to report abuse of a child, adult dependent or developmentally disabled person to the appropriate law enforcement agency within 48 hours. Clergy are also required to testify in court on information regarding child abuse and neglect they learned through their duties as a clergy person, even if the information was obtained in what is currently considered a privileged situation.
The use of force on a child by anyone other than the child's parent is illegal. Current language allowing use of force on a child with the parent's or guardian's permission is stricken.
The number of regional crisis residential centers is increased from eight to 16. The number of smaller crisis residential centers is increased from 30 to 40. The duties of both types of centers are expanded to include job support and school advocacy, family outreach, community and occupational support and referral.
Children who need the special emotional, psychological, physical or behavioral assistance available at a CRC are allowed to remain in the facility up to 90 days. This time period is to be used to prepare the child for long-term placement or to return home.
The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is required to develop a five-year plan to expand the Homebuilders Program in the state. A report to the Legislature on the plan is required by March 1, 1991. Specific areas of the state are required to be served by the program by specified dates.
DSHS must establish and maintain an outreach and tracking program for 100 street youth per year. Staff to youth ratio must be no more than 8 to 1 and clients must be monitored throughout the day and night.
DSHS is required to provide parent/child mediation services to 1000 families per year. These programs are to be designed to resolve school and truancy problems when they are first identified. Volunteer mediators are to meet with the child and family. Tutors are to be provided to aid the child or parent.
A 10 bed, staff-secure 45 day assessment and referral facility is to be established. Eighty youths per year shall be served.
A 10 bed transition housing program for street youths willing to reunite with their families or emancipate is to be established by DSHS. Length of stay is set at 90 days and the program should attempt to serve 40 youths per year.
DSHS is directed to create a pilot project to determine the effectiveness of a voluntary temporary shelter for juvenile runaways. Counseling and crisis intervention services shall be provided.
DSHS is directed to contract with private vendors to establish at least two eight-bed centers for runaways. The centers are to provide individual and family counseling for no longer than 14 days. Attempts to reunite the family or refer the runaway to other assistance programs are to be made.
The department is to establish a ten-home foster care cluster program. Each home is each to provide a particular service or services such as arranging medical care, recreational activities, or assistance with education for the entire cluster.
DSHS is directed to implement within two years a reduction in caseload standards to 25 ongoing cases per caseworker, and eight new cases assigned per month. Additional caseworkers as needed are to be hired.
DSHS Child Welfare Services is given the responsibility to investigate non-accidental injuries, even though the injuries are not the result of a lack of care or supervision by the child's parents, legal custodians, or persons serving in loco parentis.
Appropriations for the biennium are made as follows: $839,500 for street youth outreach and tracking; $870,000 for parent/child mediation service; $1,560,000 for the foster care cluster program; $84,000 for transition housing; $500,000 for the staff- secure 45 day assessment facility.
The bill declares an emergency and takes effect July 1, 1989
Appropriation: $3,853,500 from the general fund
Revenue: none
Fiscal Note: requested February 7, 1989
Effective Date:July 1, 1989