HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1644

As Reported by House Committee On:

Human Services & Early Learning

Title: An act relating to the creation of a youth development work group within the department of children, youth, and families.

Brief Description: Concerning the creation of a youth development work group within the department of children, youth, and families.

Sponsors: Representatives Ortiz-Self, Lovick, Kilduff, Valdez, Frame, Goodman, Davis and Leavitt.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Human Services & Early Learning: 2/12/19, 2/15/19 [DPS].

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 12 members: Representatives Senn, Chair; Callan, Vice Chair; Frame, Vice Chair; Dent, Ranking Minority Member; Eslick, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Corry, Goodman, Griffey, Kilduff, Klippert, Lovick and Ortiz-Self.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 1 member: Representative McCaslin, Assistant Ranking Minority Member.

Staff: Dawn Eychaner (786-7135).

Background:

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) was created in 2017 with the stated intent of improving delivery of services and outcomes for children and families by housing early learning, child welfare, and juvenile justice services in the same agency. The DCYF is required to establish outcome measure goals and report on those measures and progress toward goals annually. The outcome measures include:

• improving child development and school readiness;

• preventing child abuse and neglect;

• improving child and youth safety, permanency, and well-being;

• improving reconciliation of children and youth with their families;

• improving adolescent outcomes;

• reducing future demand for mental health and substance use disorder treatment;

• reducing criminal justice involvement and recidivism; and

• reducing racial and ethnic disproportionality and disparities.

The DCYF submitted the first annual report on outcome measures, actions taken, progress toward goals, and plans for the future year to the Governor and the Legislature in December 2018.

The Oversight Board for the DCYF is authorized to monitor and ensure the DCYF achieves its stated outcomes and complies with relevant statutes, administrative acts, rules and policies.

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Summary of Substitute Bill:

A youth development work group (work group) is created within the DCYF with the purpose of developing a mission, vision, and goals over the 2019-21 biennium for supporting youth ages 5 to young adulthood with a racial equity and inclusion lens.

Work Group Duties.

The work group must:

• develop meaningful, youth-level, research-based prevention and promotion outcomes and measures addressing positive identity development; resiliency; strong family, school, peer, and community relationships; gang prevention; on-time high school graduation; and completion of a postsecondary degree or credential attainment;

• work with the DCYF to create a meaningful youth engagement strategy and a local community stakeholder engagement strategy to assist in the development and finalization of work group recommendations;

• assess and provide recommendations to improve or create new infrastructures and funding streams that support youth development within the DCYF as well as linkages with other departments;

• recommend local infrastructure, support, and feedback channels to meet statewide prevention and promotion goals;

• recommend ways to integrate and enhance DCYF youth engagement strategies and local stakeholder and provider engagement strategies and ensure youth representation;

• provide recommendations to ensure that a racial equity approach and an inclusion-based framework is embedded in the DCYF youth development strategy; and

• make recommendations on the creation of a children's cabinet to facilitate cross-agency coordination and program and policy development.

Beginning December 1, 2019, the work group must submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature. The report must include recommendations that:

• align child and adolescent brain research and research-based best practices;

• sustain early learning goals; support learning and well-being; prevent entry into the child welfare and juvenile justice systems; and support happy, healthy, safe, and thriving children and youth;

• provide guidance for a DCYF system and strategy for supporting prevention and promotion for children and youth ages 5 to young adult;

• allow for clearer linkages to schools and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and break down barriers for youth programming between departments;

• provide support to youth programming such as expanded learning opportunities, school-age child care, mentoring, leadership opportunities, and other programs that support positive youth development;

• include working with providers and youth development stakeholders to use knowledge and expertise to formulate recommendations that integrate statewide systems with local youth development and engagement systems; and

• consider whether youth representation should be included on the DCYF Oversight Board.

Work Group Membership.

The work group consists of 16 voting and five nonvoting members. The DCYF must appoint 12 voting members and ensure racial and geographic diversity. The remaining four voting members consist of two Members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and two Senators, appointed by the President of the Senate.

Voting members include:

• one DCYF representative;

• one OSPI representative;

• two representatives for youth currently in a youth development or expanded learning program;

• one parent with a youth in a culturally based organization;

• one representative of a culturally based organization that provides youth programming;

• one regional youth development intermediary;

• one provider of school-age child care;

• one statewide mentoring provider;

• one local youth development funder;

• one representative from the OSPI Special Education Advisory Council;

• one tribal representative;

• two members of the Senate; and

• two members of the House of Representatives.

Nonvoting members include:

• one representative of higher education;

• one kinship care representative;

• one representative of a mental health agency or advocacy organization;

• one representative of expanded learning opportunities or youth development direct service workers; and

• one representative of expanded learning opportunity statewide intermediaries.

The DCYF must provide up to five stipends to cover travel and time for work group members who do not have the resources or job classification to participate in a statewide work group, such as parents and youth. The DCYF must provide staff support for the work group.

The DCYF may form an agreement with a private entity to receive matching contributions to support the activities of the work group including youth, parent, and guardian engagement activities.

The work group expires December 31, 2021.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The substitute bill:

• reduces voting membership of the work group from 19 to 16 voting members by removing an expanded learning opportunities or youth development provider, removing a local private youth development funder, and removing a kinship care representative;

• reduces nonvoting membership of the workgroup from nine to five members by removing the Department of Commerce, the Department of Social and Health Services, the Department of Health, a parent stakeholder, and the representative of public and low-income housing developments and adding a kinship care representative; and

• allows the DCYF to form an agreement with a private entity to receive matching contributions to support the activities of the work group including youth, parent, and guardian engagement activities.

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Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on February 18, 2019.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) There were hopes to have a youth development work group incorporated at the onset of the new DCYF. The work group will look at missing prevention programs that could be implemented and where are the gaps in services for youth. The work group is time-limited and intentional in making recommendations to the DCYF to align and expand local programming tailored to specific groups and ensure expanded learning opportunity groups and after school programs are working together. Youth with barriers will have a supportive environment and additional pathways to adult success with this work.

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Ortiz-Self, prime sponsor; and Lyset Cadena, Schools Out Washington.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.