These are child welfare bills that passed the 2009 Washington Assembly Legislative Session.  You can link to the bills by clicking on their titles.

2SHB 1938: Post adoption contact-siblings

Reinforces the importance of sibling relationships. Intent is to promote a greater focus, in permanency planning and adoption proceedings, on the interests of siblings separated by adoptive placements and to encourage the inclusion in adoption agreements of provisions to support ongoing post adoption contact.

Court in review and approving an adoption agreement will encourage post adoption contact between siblings. The court will also inquire of each Attorney and GAL regarding the benefits of continuing contact between siblings and potential detriments of severing contact.

Adds the relevance of the child’s relationship with siblings be included in pre placement report.

SSB 5431- Out-of-Home Care—Subsequent Foster Placement

When a child is returned to foster care, DSHS must give preference to placement of the child with a relative. If, after due diligence, DSHS cannot locate an appropriate relative or the relative is unavailable or inappropriate, DSHS must give preference to placement of the child with a foster family in which the child had been previously placed if the foster home is available and willing, is currently appropriate for the child's needs, and the placement is in the best interests of the child.

ESSB 5811: Dependency Matters—Placement of Children

At shelter care, dispositional, and review hearings, the court must inquire of the parents whether DSHS has discussed placement with a relative or other suitable placement with them. The court must make an express finding in this regard. At disposition, if the court does not place the child with a relative, the court must make an express finding as to the reasons it did not.

When DSHS or a supervising agency recommends against continued placement with either a relative or a foster parent, and the court agrees with that recommendation, the court must make an express finding as to its reasons for its agreement with DSHS or supervising agency.

Requires the administrative office of courts to develop standard court forms and format rules for mandatory use by parties in dependency matters.

Requires the department within current funding levels to place on the public web site a document listing the duties and responsibilities the department has to a child subject to a dependency petition. Also requires the social worker to provide a dependent youth age twelve and older with a document containing the information that is on the website. The social worker shall explain the contents of the document to the child and direct the child to the department’s web site for further information. The social worker shall document, in the electronic data system, that this requirement was met. DSHS must prepare the document with the assistance of a community-based organization and must update the document as needed.

Requires the department at least six months before an adoption is finalized under 26.33 and 74.13.100 through 74.13.145 to provide to the prospective adoptive parent, in writing, information describing the limits of the adoption support program.

The Family and Children's Ombudsman may investigate allegations of retaliation against foster parents. Upon conclusion of its investigation, the Ombudsman must provide DSHS with a written report of its findings. DSHS must notify the Ombudsman within 30 days of receiving the Ombudsman's report of any personnel action taken or to be taken against the department employee.

SSB 5882: Racial Disproprotionality-child welfare

The legislature finds that racial disproportionality exists in Washington’s child welfare system. SSB 5882 requires the Washington state institute for public policy to evaluate the department of social and health services’ use of structured decision-making practices and implementation of the family team decision-making practices to determine whether and how those child protection and child welfare efforts result in disproportionate representation of African-American, Native American and Latino children in the state’s child welfare system. WSIPP shall report its findings to the legislature by September 1, 2010.