Title 74, PUBLIC ASSISTANCE

(1) Beginning January 1, 2027, the department may not apply any benefits, payments, funds, or accrual paid to, or on behalf of, a person in extended foster care as reimbursement for the cost of care. (2) When a person in extended foster care is not already receiving social securi…

(1) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this specific purpose, the department shall contract with a private nonprofit organization that agrees to work collaboratively with independent living providers and the department and is selected after a competitive applic…

(1) With respect to children who are subject to an open dependency proceeding under chapter 13.34 RCW and may exit dependency proceedings under chapter 13.34 RCW after reaching the maximum age for dependent children, the department shall invite representatives from the entity pro…

(1) Consistent with the provisions of chapter 42.56 RCW and applicable federal law, the secretary, or the secretary's designee, shall disclose information regarding the abuse or neglect of a child, the investigation of the abuse, neglect, or near fatality of a child, and any serv…

For purposes of RCW 74.13.500, the following information shall be disclosable: (1) The name of the abused or neglected child; (2) The determination made by the department of the referrals, if any, for abuse or neglect; (3) Identification of child protective or other services prov…

In determining under RCW 74.13.500 whether disclosure will be contrary to the best interests of the child, the secretary, or the secretary's designee, must consider the effects which disclosure may have on efforts to reunite and provide services to the family. [ 1997 c 305 s 4.] …

For purposes of RCW 74.13.500(1)(d), the secretary must make the fullest possible disclosure consistent with chapter 42.56 RCW and applicable federal law in cases of all fatalities of children who were in the care of, or receiving services from, the department at the time of thei…

Except as it applies directly to the cause of the abuse or neglect of the child and any actions taken by the department in response to reports of abuse or neglect of the child, nothing in RCW 74.13.500 through 74.13.515 is deemed to authorize the release or disclosure of the subs…

The department, when acting in good faith, is immune from any criminal or civil liability, except as provided under RCW 42.56.550, for any action taken under RCW 74.13.500 through 74.13.520. [ 2018 c 284 s 57; 2009 c 520 s 86; 2005 c 274 s 353; 1997 c 305 s 7.] Notes: Conflict wi…

(1) No child may be placed or remain in a specific out-of-home placement under this chapter or chapter 13.34 RCW when there is a conflict of interest on the part of any adult residing in the home in which the child is to be or has been placed. A conflict of interest exists when: …

Independent living services include assistance in achieving basic educational requirements such as a high school equivalency certificate as provided in RCW 28B.50.536, enrollment in vocational and technical training programs offered at the community and vocational colleges, and o…

(1) It is the policy of the state of Washington that, whenever practical and in the best interest of the child, children who are the subject of a dependency proceeding shall remain enrolled in their schools of origin. (2) For the purposes of this section, "children who are the su…

(1) The administrative regions of the department shall, in collaboration with school districts within their region as required by RCW 28A.225.360, develop protocols specifying specific strategies for communication, coordination, and collaboration regarding the status and progress…

(1) The department shall establish an oversight committee composed of staff from the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the student achievement council, foster youth, former foster youth, foster parents, and advocacy agencies to develop strategies for maintaining…

The department shall work with the administrative office of the courts to develop protocols to ensure that educational stability is addressed during the shelter care hearing. [ 2003 c 112 s 5.] Notes: Findings—Intent—2003 c 112: See note following RCW 74.13.550.

The department shall perform the tasks provided in RCW 74.13.550 through 74.13.580 based on available resources. [ 2018 c 284 s 60; 2009 c 520 s 89; 2003 c 112 s 6.] Notes: Findings—Intent—2003 c 112: See note following RCW 74.13.550.

(1) For the purposes of this section, "kin" means persons eighteen years of age or older to whom the child is related by blood, adoption, or marriage, including marriages that have been dissolved, and means: (a) Any person denoted by the prefix "grand" or "great"; (b) sibling, wh…

(1) Within existing resources, the department shall establish an oversight committee to monitor, guide, and report on kinship care recommendations and implementation activities. The committee shall: (a) Draft a kinship care definition that is restricted to persons related by bloo…

(1) Consistent with the provisions for making best interest determinations established in RCW 28A.225.350 and 74.13.560, the department shall provide students who are the subject of a dependency proceeding with the opportunity to remain enrolled in their school of origin, unless …

(1) A university-based child welfare research entity shall include in its reporting the educational experiences and progress of students in out-of-home care with the department. This data must be disaggregated in the smallest units allowable by law that do not identify an individ…

(1)(a) The department shall conduct a child fatality review in the event of a fatality suspected to be caused by child abuse or neglect of any minor who is in the care of the department or receiving services described in this chapter or who has been in the care of the department …

A foster parent critical support and retention program is established to retain foster parents who care for sexually reactive children, physically assaultive children, or children with other high-risk behaviors, as defined in RCW 74.13.280. Services shall consist of short-term th…

Under the foster parent critical support and retention program, foster parents who care for sexually reactive children, physically assaultive children, or children with other high-risk behaviors, as defined in RCW 74.13.280, shall receive: (1) Availability at any time of the day …

(1) A care provider may not be found to have abused or neglected a child under chapter 26.44 RCW or be denied a license pursuant to chapter 74.15 RCW and RCW 74.13.031 for any allegations of failure to supervise in which: (a) The allegations arise from the child's conduct that is…

(1) Within amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department shall continue to operate the state-funded foster care to twenty-one program for three years after June 7, 2012, at which point the program shall cease to operate. (2) The department shall not have the auth…

(1) A university-based child welfare research entity and the department, in collaboration with other stakeholders, shall develop measurements in the areas of safety, permanency, and well-being, using existing and available data. Measurements must be calculated from data used in t…

The office of innovation, alignment, and accountability must develop a single validated tool to assess the care needs of foster children. Once the validated tool is available for use on a statewide basis, the department of children, youth, and families must use the tool for asses…

(1) In determining the character, suitability, and competence of an individual, the department may not: (a) Deny or delay a license or approval of unsupervised access to children to an individual solely because of a crime or civil infraction involving the individual or entity rev…

The department shall charge a fee to process a request made by a person in another state for an individual's child abuse or neglect history in this state or other background history on the individual possessed by the department. All proceeds from the fees collected must go direct…

(1) For the purposes of this section, "caregiver" means a person with whom a child is placed in out-of-home care, or a designated official for a group care facility licensed by the department. (2) This section applies to all caregivers providing for children in out-of-home care. …

(1) Within available funding, the department shall contract with an external organization or organizations with experience serving youth or families receiving out-of-home care services to implement and operate the family connections program, which facilitates interaction between …

The department shall establish a caregiver communication specialist position within the department for the purpose of improving communication between the department and caregivers. The caregiver communication specialist position established in this section is responsible for: (1)…

(1) The department shall develop and implement a process by which an individual who is the subject of a founded finding of negligent treatment or maltreatment or physical abuse as defined in RCW 26.44.020 or by rule or an individual whose child was found by a court to be dependen…

(1) A person who applies for a certificate of parental improvement pursuant to RCW 74.13.720 has the right to seek review of the secretary's denial of this certificate request as provided in this section. (2) The written notice provided by the department denying a request for a c…

(1) Within funds appropriated for this specific purpose, the department shall administer a child welfare housing assistance program, which provides housing vouchers, rental assistance, navigation, and other support services to eligible families. (a) The department shall operate o…

(1) The department shall collaborate with the developmental disabilities administration of the department of social and health services to determine the number of enrolled clients of the developmental disabilities administration of the department of social and health services age…

By September 1, 2023, the department, in consultation with the department of health, shall produce and make available to department staff a child malnutrition field guide. This child malnutrition field guide must: (1) Be concise, but provide references to additional comprehensive…

For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …

Nothing contained in chapter 3, Laws of 2012 shall be construed to alter or affect existing law regarding the manner in which a religious or nonprofit organization may be licensed to and provide adoption, foster care, or other child-placing services under this chapter or chapter …

Nothing in this chapter may be construed to limit the department's authority to offer or provide prevention services or primary prevention services as defined in chapter 13.34 RCW and this chapter, respectively. [ 2019 c 172 s 18.]

It is the policy of this state to enable the secretary to charge fees for certain services to adoptive parents who are able to pay for such services. It is, however, also the policy of this state that the secretary of the department shall be liberal in waiving, reducing, or defer…

The legislature finds that the current state adoption support policy to encourage, within available funds, the adoption of certain hard to place children , has expedited permanency for children who are unable to reunify with their family and has resulted in savings otherwise spen…

When a child proposed for adoption is placed with a prospective adoptive parent the department may charge such parent a fee in payment or part payment of such adoptive parent's part of the cost of the adoption services rendered and to be rendered by the department. In charging su…

All fees paid for adoption services pursuant to RCW 26.33.320 and 74.13A.005 through 74.13A.080 shall be credited to the general fund. Expenses incurred in connection with supporting the adoption of hard to place children shall be paid by warrants drawn against such appropriation…

(1) The secretary shall issue rules and regulations to assist in the administration of the program of adoption support authorized by RCW 26.33.320 and 74.13A.005 through 74.13A.080. (2) Disbursements from the appropriations available from the general fund shall be made pursuant t…

The factors to be considered by the secretary in setting the amount of any payment or payments to be made pursuant to RCW 26.33.320 and 74.13A.005 through 74.13A.080 and in adjusting standards hereunder shall include: The size of the family including the adoptive child, the usual…