OLYMPIA – Ahead of the cutoff deadline for house of origin legislation, lawmakers approved a package of bills Monday and Tuesday creating a firm foundation for child welfare reform in our state. The measures also assist Washington’s application for a waiver that would allow greater flexibility in the use of federal dollars.
“These reforms give our caseworkers the tools to help the state’s most troubled families, and ensure Washington can continue to champion innovative strategies that ensure the best outcomes for children,” said Rep. Ruth Kagi (D – Lake Forest Park), who sponsored the bills and chairs the House Early Learning and Human Services committee.
The measures passed include:
- Child welfare savings (HB 2263) – Enables the state to reinvest child welfare savings into important intervention programs that help keep children out of foster care in the first place. The current funding formula is based on the number of children in foster care, meaning the more kids who are kept out of the system, the less funding the state and federal government allocates for foster care services. In the past two years, Washington has lost nearly $3 million in federal dollars and $8 million in state funds. While the state’s child welfare caseloads have declined by 18 percent between 2008 and 2011, the very programs that helped contribute to this decline are now in jeopardy due to the reduced funding.
- Performance-based contracting for some child welfare services (HB 2264) – Brings more cohesion to the fragmented network of child welfare providers in Washington. It also ensures that caseworker jobs will not be outsourced, but enables the state Department of Social and Health Services to move forward with contracting for family support and related services. These “network administrators” will work together with caseworkers as part of an overall team to improve outcomes for families in crisis.
- Family Assessment Response (HB 2289) – Gives Washington’s CPS workers the tools and resources they need to do their jobs more effectively. Currently, all allegations of child abuse that are screened in must be investigated. The majority of cases involve neglect where a child is not at imminent risk of harm. Under the provisions of this bill, CPS will continue to investigate any circumstance where a child is at imminent risk of harm or sexual abuse is alleged. In other cases, workers will engage with the family and provide services to address the problems resulting in child maltreatment to keep children safely at home whenever possible.
- Protecting caseworkers so they can protect kids (HB 2510) – Provides clarity in state law about the primary duty of caseworkers when they go into a home where abuse and neglect are suspected. By making sure the primary duty is to the child, the state is better protected from unnecessary lawsuits and caseworkers can better protect the safety of children.
The passage of these bills also bolsters the state’s application for a federal foster care funding waiver, or Title IV-E waiver. These waivers were authorized last fall when President Obama signed the Children & Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act.
“Our child welfare workers perform their duties under very challenging conditions in order to serve some of Washington’s most troubled families,” said Kagi. “These bills will move us away from simply purchasing services towards purchasing the best possible outcomes with our limited dollars.”
All four bills cleared the House with bipartisan support. They now head to the Senate for consideration.