OLYMPIA –On March 18, Governor Inslee signed legislation to encourage relationships between parents and foster caregivers. House Bill 2525, sponsored by Rep. Lisa Callan, D-Issaquah, creates a pilot Family Connections Program that encourages ally relationships between foster caregivers and parents to reduce stress on kids in the foster system.
“By encouraging positive mentorship relationships between foster caregivers and parents we can reduce trauma for children and improve outcomes for families,” said Callan. “We need to rethink how we support children in the foster care system by putting the focus on the child and on partnerships. This bill is a good step in that direction.”
Historically, there are roughly 10,000 children in Washington’s foster care system. There is evidence that mentor relationships between foster caregivers and parents yield better outcomes for families in the foster care system including a higher likelihood of reunification and fewer days spent by children in foster care.