S-3587.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6362

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senators Zarelli, Hargrove, Honeyford, Hochstatter, Johnson, Swecker and Stevens

Read first time 01/14/2000.  Referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

Changing provisions relating to the removal and placement of foster children.

    AN ACT Relating to making decisions about the removal and placement of foster children; and amending RCW 74.13.325 and 74.13.290.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 74.13.325 and 1997 c 272 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Within available resources, the department shall increase the number of adoptive and foster families available to accept children through an intensive recruitment and retention program.  The department shall contract with a private agency to coordinate foster care and adoptive home recruitment activities for the department and private agencies.

(2) Within the department, the division of licensed resources, children's administration, shall have primary responsibility for the recruitment of new foster homes.

    Sec. 2.  RCW 74.13.290 and 1990 c 284 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) To provide stability to children in out-of-home care, placement selection shall be made with a view toward the fewest possible placements for each child.  If possible, the initial placement shall be viewed as the only placement for the child.  The use of short-term interim placements of thirty days or less to protect the child's health or safety while the placement of choice is being arranged is not a violation of this principle.

(2) In any situation in which there has been a founded allegation of abuse or neglect against a licensed provider, whether or not the child placed with that provider remains is the decision of the division of children and family services.  In making the decision whether to remove the child from the home of the provider, the department shall consider whether the health and safety of the child would be jeopardized if he or she remained in the provider's home and whether it is in the child's best interests to be removed from the provider's home.

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