Family reconciliation

AN ACT Relating to family reconciliation services; amending RCW 1
13.32A.040 and 13.32A.045; reenacting and amending RCW 13.32A.030; 2
and adding a new section to chapter 13.32A RCW. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
Sec. 1. RCW 13.32A.030 and 2020 c 51 s 1 are each reenacted and 5
amended to read as follows: 6
As used in this chapter the following terms have the meanings 7
indicated unless the context clearly requires otherwise:8
(1) "Abuse or neglect" means the injury, sexual abuse, sexual 9
exploitation, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of a child by any 10
person under circumstances that indicate the child's health, welfare, 11
and safety is harmed, excluding conduct permitted under RCW 12
9A.16.100. An abused child is a child who has been subjected to child 13
abuse or neglect as defined in this section. 14
(2) "Administrator" means the individual who has the daily 15
administrative responsibility of a crisis residential center, or his 16
or her designee. 17
(3) "At-risk youth" means a juvenile: 18
(a) Who is absent from home for at least seventy-two consecutive 19
hours without consent of his or her parent; 20
H-0387.1
HOUSE BILL 1509
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Taylor, Dent, Davis, Reed, and Hill
Read first time 01/22/25. Referred to Committee on Early Learning &
Human Services.
p. 1 HB 1509
(b) Who is beyond the control of his or her parent such that the 1
child's behavior endangers the health, safety, or welfare of the 2
child or any other person; or 3
(c) Who has a substance abuse problem for which there are no 4
pending criminal charges related to the substance abuse.5
(4) "Child," "juvenile," "youth," and "minor" mean any 6
unemancipated individual who is under the chronological age of 7
eighteen years. 8
(5) "Child in need of services" means a juvenile:9
(a) Who is beyond the control of his or her parent such that the 10
child's behavior endangers the health, safety, or welfare of the 11
child or any other person; 12
(b) Who has been reported to law enforcement as absent without 13
consent for at least twenty-four consecutive hours on two or more 14
separate occasions from the home of either parent, a crisis 15
residential center, an out-of-home placement, or a court-ordered 16
placement; and 17
(i) Has exhibited a serious substance abuse problem; or18
(ii) Has exhibited behaviors that create a serious risk of harm 19
to the health, safety, or welfare of the child or any other person;20
(c)(i) Who is in need of: (A) Necessary services, including food, 21
shelter, health care, clothing, or education; or (B) services 22
designed to maintain or reunite the family; 23
(ii) Who lacks access to, or has declined to use, these services; 24
and 25
(iii) Whose parents have evidenced continuing but unsuccessful 26
efforts to maintain the family structure or are unable or unwilling 27
to continue efforts to maintain the family structure; or28
(d) Who is a "sexually exploited child." 29
(6) "Child in need of services petition" means a petition filed 30
in juvenile court by a parent, child, or the department seeking 31
adjudication of placement of the child. 32
(7) "Community-based family reconciliation services" means family 33
reconciliation services as defined in this section that are provided 34
by a community-based entity under contract with the department.35
(((7))) (8) "Crisis residential center" means a secure or semi-36
secure facility established pursuant to chapter 74.13 RCW.37
(((8))) (9) "Custodian" means the person or entity that has the 38
legal right to custody of the child. 39
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(((9))) (10) "Department" means the department of children, 1
youth, and families. 2
(((10))) (11) "Extended family member" means an adult who is a 3
grandparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, uncle, aunt, 4
or first cousin with whom the child has a relationship and is 5
comfortable, and who is willing and available to care for the child.6
(((11))) (12) "Family reconciliation services" means services 7
provided by culturally relevant, trauma-informed community-based 8
entities under contract with the department, or provided directly by 9
the department, designed to assess and stabilize the family with the 10
goal of resolving crisis and building supports, skills, and 11
connection to community networks and resources including, but not 12
limited to: 13
(a) Referrals for services for suicide prevention, psychiatric or 14
other medical care, psychological care, behavioral health treatment, 15
legal assistance, or educational assistance; 16
(b) Parent training; 17
(c) Assistance with conflict management or dispute resolution; or18
(d) Other social services, as appropriate to meet the needs of 19
the child and the family. 20
(((12))) (13) "Guardian" means the person or agency that (a) has 21
been appointed as the guardian of a child in a legal proceeding other 22
than a proceeding under chapter 13.34 RCW, and (b) has the legal 23
right to custody of the child pursuant to such appointment. The term 24
"guardian" does not include a "dependency guardian" appointed 25
pursuant to a proceeding under chapter 13.34 RCW. 26
(((13))) (14) "Multidisciplinary team" means a group formed to 27
provide assistance and support to a child who is an at-risk youth or 28
a child in need of services and his or her parent. The team must 29
include the parent, a department caseworker, a local government 30
representative when authorized by the local government, and when 31
appropriate, members from the mental health and substance abuse 32
disciplines. The team may also include, but is not limited to, the 33
following persons: Educators, law enforcement personnel, probation 34
officers, employers, church persons, tribal members, therapists, 35
medical personnel, social service providers, placement providers, and 36
extended family members. The team members must be volunteers who do 37
not receive compensation while acting in a capacity as a team member, 38
unless the member's employer chooses to provide compensation or the 39
member is a state employee. 40
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(((14))) (15) "Out-of-home placement" means a placement in a 1
foster family home or group care facility licensed pursuant to 2
chapter 74.15 RCW or placement in a home, other than that of the 3
child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian, not required to be 4
licensed pursuant to chapter 74.15 RCW. 5
(((15))) (16) "Parent" means the parent or parents who have the 6
legal right to custody of the child. "Parent" includes custodian or 7
guardian. 8
(((16))) (17) "Secure facility" means a crisis residential 9
center, or portion thereof, that has locking doors, locking windows, 10
or a secured perimeter, designed and operated to prevent a child from 11
leaving without permission of the facility staff. 12
(((17))) (18) "Semi-secure facility" means any facility, 13
including but not limited to crisis residential centers or 14
specialized foster family homes, operated in a manner to reasonably 15
assure that youth placed there will not run away. Pursuant to rules 16
established by the department, the facility administrator shall 17
establish reasonable hours for residents to come and go from the 18
facility such that no residents are free to come and go at all hours 19
of the day and night. To prevent residents from taking unreasonable 20
actions, the facility administrator, where appropriate, may condition 21
a resident's leaving the facility upon the resident being accompanied 22
by the administrator or the administrator's designee and the resident 23
may be required to notify the administrator or the administrator's 24
designee of any intent to leave, his or her intended destination, and 25
the probable time of his or her return to the center.26
(((18))) (19) "Sexually exploited child" means any person under 27
the age of eighteen who is a victim of the crime of commercial sex 28
abuse of a minor under RCW 9.68A.100, promoting commercial sexual 29
abuse of a minor under RCW 9.68A.101, or promoting travel for 30
commercial sexual abuse of a minor under RCW 9.68A.102.31
(((19))) (20) "Staff secure facility" means a structured group 32
care facility licensed under rules adopted by the department with a 33
ratio of at least one adult staff member to every two children.34
(((20))) (21) "Temporary out-of-home placement" means an out-of-35
home placement of not more than fourteen days ordered by the court at 36
a fact-finding hearing on a child in need of services petition.37
Sec. 2. RCW 13.32A.040 and 2023 c 151 s 1 are each amended to 38
read as follows: 39
p. 4 HB 1509
(1) ((The)) Subject to the availability of funding appropriated 1
for this specific purpose, the department, or a designated contractor 2
of the department, shall: 3
(a) Offer family reconciliation services to families or youth who 4
are experiencing conflict and who may be in need of services upon 5
request from the family or youth ((and subject to the availability of 6
funding appropriated for this specific purpose)); ((and))7
(b) Offer family reconciliation services to families or youth 8
after receiving a report that a youth is away from a lawfully 9
prescribed residence or home without parental permission under RCW 10
13.32A.082(1). If the family or youth is being served by the 11
community support team created under RCW 43.330.726, the department 12
or designated contractor of the department must: 13
(i) Still offer family reconciliation services; and14
(ii) Coordinate with the community support team created in RCW 15
43.330.726;16
(c) Offer family reconciliation services to families or youth, 17
where the youth is in a county juvenile detention center and family 18
conflict exists, upon request by the youth, family, or juvenile 19
detention center; and20
(d) Offer family reconciliation services to families or youth, 21
where the youth is identified through the housing stability for youth 22
in crisis program as described in RCW 43.330.724, upon request by the 23
youth, family, or program. 24
(2) The department may involve a local multidisciplinary team in 25
its response in determining the services to be provided and in 26
providing those services. Such services shall be provided to 27
alleviate personal or family situations which present a serious and 28
imminent threat to the health or stability of the child or family and 29
to maintain families intact wherever possible. 30
Sec. 3. RCW 13.32A.045 and 2020 c 51 s 4 are each amended to 31
read as follows: 32
(1) Beginning December 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, in 33
compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the department shall make data 34
available on the use of family reconciliation services which 35
includes: 36
(a) The number of requests for family reconciliation services;37
(b) The number of referrals made for family reconciliation 38
services; 39
p. 5 HB 1509
(c) The demographic profile of families and youth accessing 1
family reconciliation services including race, ethnicity, housing 2
status, child welfare history, existence of an individualized 3
education program, eligibility for services under 29 U.S.C. Sec. 701, 4
or eligibility for other disability-related services;5
(d) The nature of the family conflict; 6
(e) The type and length of the family reconciliation services 7
delivered; 8
(f) Family outcomes after receiving family reconciliation 9
services; ((and))10
(g) Recommendations for improving family reconciliation services;11
(h) The number of requests for community-based reconciliation 12
services; and13
(i) The number of referrals made to community-based family 14
reconciliation services. 15
(2) If the department cannot provide the information specified 16
under subsection (1) of this section, the department shall identify 17
steps necessary to obtain and make available the information required 18
under subsection (1) of this section. 19
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 13.32A 20
RCW to read as follows: 21
Subject to the amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, 22
the department shall: 23
(1) By January 1, 2026, offer contracts to provide community-24
based family reconciliation services in at least three regions served 25
by the department with at least two of these regions on the west side 26
of the Cascade mountain range and at least one of these regions on 27
the east side of the Cascade mountain range; and 28
(2) By January 1, 2030, offer contracts to provide community-29
based family reconciliation services statewide. 30
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