Juvenile detention/CHINS

AN ACT Relating to providing for a child in need of services 1
petition process for juveniles in and exiting detention; amending RCW 2
13.32A.045, 13.32A.150, 13.32A.152, 13.32A.160, 13.32A.170, 3
13.32A.179, and 43.330.724; reenacting and amending RCW 13.32A.030; 4
and adding new sections to chapter 13.32A RCW. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:6
Sec. 1. RCW 13.32A.030 and 2020 c 51 s 1 are each reenacted and 7
amended to read as follows: 8
As used in this chapter the following terms have the meanings 9
indicated unless the context clearly requires otherwise:10
(1) "Abuse or neglect" means the injury, sexual abuse, sexual 11
exploitation, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of a child by any 12
person under circumstances that indicate the child's health, welfare, 13
and safety is harmed, excluding conduct permitted under RCW 14
9A.16.100. An abused child is a child who has been subjected to child 15
abuse or neglect as defined in this section. 16
(2) "Administrator" means the individual who has the daily 17
administrative responsibility of a crisis residential center, or his 18
or her designee. 19
(3) "At-risk youth" means a juvenile: 20
S-0834.3
SENATE BILL 5617
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators C. Wilson, Frame, Hasegawa, Lovelett, Lovick, Nobles,
Trudeau, and Valdez
Read first time 01/31/25. Referred to Committee on Human Services.
p. 1 SB 5617
(a) Who is absent from home for at least ((seventy-two)) 72 1
consecutive hours without consent of his or her parent;2
(b) Who is beyond the control of his or her parent such that the 3
child's behavior endangers the health, safety, or welfare of the 4
child or any other person; or 5
(c) Who has a substance abuse problem for which there are no 6
pending criminal charges related to the substance abuse.7
(4) "Child," "juvenile," "youth," and "minor" mean any 8
unemancipated individual who is under the chronological age of 9
((eighteen)) 18 years. 10
(5) "Child in need of services" means a juvenile:11
(a) Who is beyond the control of his or her parent such that the 12
child's behavior endangers the health, safety, or welfare of the 13
child or any other person; 14
(b) Who has been reported to law enforcement as absent without 15
consent for at least ((twenty-four)) 24 consecutive hours on two or 16
more separate occasions from the home of either parent, a crisis 17
residential center, an out-of-home placement, or a court-ordered 18
placement; and 19
(i) Has exhibited a serious substance abuse problem; or20
(ii) Has exhibited behaviors that create a serious risk of harm 21
to the health, safety, or welfare of the child or any other person;22
(c)(i) Who is in need of: (A) Necessary services, including food, 23
shelter, health care, clothing, or education; or (B) services 24
designed to maintain or reunite the family; 25
(ii) Who lacks access to, or has declined to use, these services; 26
and 27
(iii) Whose parents have evidenced continuing but unsuccessful 28
efforts to maintain the family structure or are unable or unwilling 29
to continue efforts to maintain the family structure; ((or))30
(d) Who is a "sexually exploited child((.))"; or31
(e) Who reasonably believes that there will be no parent, legal 32
guardian, or responsible adult to whom they can be released when 33
legal jurisdiction to detain ends.34
(6) "Child in need of services petition" means a petition filed 35
in juvenile court by a parent, child, or the department seeking 36
adjudication of placement of the child. 37
(7) "Community-based family reconciliation services" means family 38
reconciliation services as defined in this chapter that are provided 39
by a community-based entity under contract with the department.40
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(8) "Crisis residential center" means a secure or semi-secure 1
facility established pursuant to chapter 74.13 RCW.2
(((8))) (9) "Custodian" means the person or entity that has the 3
legal right to custody of the child. 4
(((9))) (10) "Department" means the department of children, 5
youth, and families. 6
(((10))) (11) "Extended family member" means an adult who is a 7
grandparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, uncle, aunt, 8
or first cousin with whom the child has a relationship and is 9
comfortable, and who is willing and available to care for the child.10
(((11))) (12) "Family reconciliation services" means services 11
provided by culturally relevant, trauma-informed community-based 12
entities under contract with the department, or provided directly by 13
the department, designed to assess and stabilize the family with the 14
goal of resolving crisis and building supports, skills, and 15
connection to community networks and resources including, but not 16
limited to: 17
(a) Referrals for services for suicide prevention, psychiatric or 18
other medical care, psychological care, behavioral health treatment, 19
legal assistance, or educational assistance; 20
(b) Parent training; 21
(c) Assistance with conflict management or dispute resolution; or22
(d) Other social services, as appropriate to meet the needs of 23
the child and the family. 24
(((12))) (13) "Guardian" means the person or agency that (a) has 25
been appointed as the guardian of a child in a legal proceeding other 26
than a proceeding under chapter 13.34 RCW, and (b) has the legal 27
right to custody of the child pursuant to such appointment. The term 28
"guardian" does not include a "dependency guardian" appointed 29
pursuant to a proceeding under chapter 13.34 RCW. 30
(((13))) (14) "Multidisciplinary team" means a group formed to 31
provide assistance and support to a child who is an at-risk youth or 32
a child in need of services and his or her parent. The team must 33
include the parent, a department caseworker, a local government 34
representative when authorized by the local government, and when 35
appropriate, members from the mental health and substance abuse 36
disciplines. The team may also include, but is not limited to, the 37
following persons: Educators, law enforcement personnel, probation 38
officers, employers, church persons, tribal members, therapists, 39
medical personnel, social service providers, placement providers, and 40
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extended family members. The team members must be volunteers who do 1
not receive compensation while acting in a capacity as a team member, 2
unless the member's employer chooses to provide compensation or the 3
member is a state employee. 4
(((14))) (15) "Out-of-home placement" means a placement in a 5
foster family home or group care facility licensed pursuant to 6
chapter 74.15 RCW or placement in a home, other than that of the 7
child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian, not required to be 8
licensed pursuant to chapter 74.15 RCW. 9
(((15))) (16) "Parent" means the parent or parents who have the 10
legal right to custody of the child. "Parent" includes custodian or 11
guardian. 12
(((16))) (17) "Responsible adult" means an adult the court orders 13
as a responsible adult to assist in making release plans with the 14
juvenile. The juvenile may recommend adults that they believe to be a 15
responsible adult for the court's consideration.16
(18) "Secure facility" means a crisis residential center, or 17
portion thereof, that has locking doors, locking windows, or a 18
secured perimeter, designed and operated to prevent a child from 19
leaving without permission of the facility staff. 20
(((17))) (19) "Semi-secure facility" means any facility, 21
including but not limited to crisis residential centers or 22
specialized foster family homes, operated in a manner to reasonably 23
assure that youth placed there will not run away. Pursuant to rules 24
established by the department, the facility administrator shall 25
establish reasonable hours for residents to come and go from the 26
facility such that no residents are free to come and go at all hours 27
of the day and night. To prevent residents from taking unreasonable 28
actions, the facility administrator, where appropriate, may condition 29
a resident's leaving the facility upon the resident being accompanied 30
by the administrator or the administrator's designee and the resident 31
may be required to notify the administrator or the administrator's 32
designee of any intent to leave, his or her intended destination, and 33
the probable time of his or her return to the center.34
(((18))) (20) "Sexually exploited child" means any person under 35
the age of ((eighteen)) 18 who is a victim of the crime of commercial 36
sex abuse of a minor under RCW 9.68A.100, promoting commercial sexual 37
abuse of a minor under RCW 9.68A.101, or promoting travel for 38
commercial sexual abuse of a minor under RCW 9.68A.102.39
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(((19))) (21) "Staff secure facility" means a structured group 1
care facility licensed under rules adopted by the department with a 2
ratio of at least one adult staff member to every two children.3
(((20))) (22) "Temporary out-of-home placement" means an out-of-4
home placement of not more than ((fourteen)) 14 days ordered by the 5
court at a fact-finding hearing on a child in need of services 6
petition. 7
Sec. 2. RCW 13.32A.045 and 2020 c 51 s 4 are each amended to 8
read as follows: 9
(1) Beginning December 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, in 10
compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the department shall make data 11
available on the use of family reconciliation services which 12
includes: 13
(a) The number of requests for family reconciliation services;14
(b) The number of referrals made for family reconciliation 15
services; 16
(c) The demographic profile of families and youth accessing 17
family reconciliation services including race, ethnicity, housing 18
status, child welfare history, existence of an individualized 19
education program, eligibility for services under 29 U.S.C. Sec. 701, 20
or eligibility for other disability-related services;21
(d) The nature of the family conflict; 22
(e) The type and length of the family reconciliation services 23
delivered; 24
(f) Family outcomes after receiving family reconciliation 25
services; ((and))26
(g) Recommendations for improving family reconciliation services;27
(h) The number of requests for community-based family 28
reconciliation services; and29
(i) The number of referrals made through community-based family 30
reconciliation services. 31
(2) If the department cannot provide the information specified 32
under subsection (1) of this section, the department shall identify 33
steps necessary to obtain and make available the information required 34
under subsection (1) of this section. 35
Sec. 3. RCW 13.32A.150 and 2020 c 51 s 3 are each amended to 36
read as follows: 37
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(1) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the juvenile 1
court shall not accept the filing of a child in need of services 2
petition by the child or the parents or the filing of an at-risk 3
youth petition by the parent, unless verification is provided that 4
the department, or a community-based entity under contract with the 5
department, has completed a family assessment. The family assessment 6
shall involve the multidisciplinary team if one exists. The family 7
assessment or plan of services developed by the multidisciplinary 8
team shall be aimed at family reconciliation, reunification, and 9
avoidance of the out-of-home placement of the child. A family 10
assessment is not required for a child in need of services petition 11
filed pursuant to section 9 of this act.12
(2) ((A)) Except as provided otherwise in this section, a child 13
or a child's parent may file with the juvenile court a child in need 14
of services petition to approve an out-of-home placement for the 15
child before completion of a family assessment. The department shall, 16
when requested, assist either a parent or child in the filing of the 17
petition. The petition must be filed in the county where the parent 18
resides, except for petitions filed pursuant to section 9 of this 19
act. The petition shall allege that the child is a child in need of 20
services and shall ask only that the placement of a child outside the 21
home of his or her parent be approved , except for petitions filed 22
pursuant to section 9 of this act . The filing of a petition to 23
approve the placement is not dependent upon the court's having 24
obtained any prior jurisdiction over the child or his or her parent, 25
and confers upon the court a special jurisdiction to approve or 26
disapprove an out-of-home placement under this chapter.27
(3) A petition may not be filed if the child is the subject of a 28
proceeding under chapter 13.34 RCW. 29
Sec. 4. RCW 13.32A.152 and 2011 c 309 s 21 are each amended to 30
read as follows: 31
(1) Whenever a child in need of services petition is filed by: 32
(a) A youth pursuant to RCW 13.32A.150 or section 9 of this act ; (b) 33
the child or the child's parent pursuant to RCW 13.32A.120; or (c) 34
the department pursuant to RCW 13.32A.140, the filing party shall 35
have a copy of the petition served on the parents of the youth. 36
Service shall first be attempted in person and if unsuccessful, then 37
by certified mail with return receipt, except as provided otherwise.38
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(2) Whenever a child in need of services petition is filed by a 1
youth or parent pursuant to RCW 13.32A.150 or section 9 of this act , 2
the court shall immediately notify the department that a petition has 3
been filed. 4
(3) When a child in need of services petition is filed by the 5
department, and the court or the petitioning party knows or has 6
reason to know that an Indian child is involved, the provisions of 7
chapter 13.38 RCW apply. 8
(4) When a court schedules an emergency hearing under section 9 9
of this act, the court shall make diligent efforts to inform the 10
parent or legal guardian of the emergency hearing. The notice may be 11
given by any means reasonably certain of notifying the parent or 12
legal guardian including, but not limited to: Written, including in 13
an electronic format; telephone; or in-person oral notification.14
Sec. 5. RCW 13.32A.160 and 2020 c 312 s 724 are each amended to 15
read as follows: 16
(1) When a proper child in need of services petition to approve 17
an out-of-home placement is filed under RCW 13.32A.120, 13.32A.140, 18
((or)) 13.32A.150, or section 9 of this act, the juvenile court 19
shall: (a)(i) Schedule a fact-finding hearing to be held: (A) For a 20
child who resides in a place other than his or her parent's home and 21
other than an out-of-home placement, within five calendar days unless 22
the last calendar day is a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, in which 23
case the hearing shall be held on the preceding judicial day; or (B) 24
for a child living at home or in an out-of-home placement, within 25
((ten)) 10 days; and (ii) notify the parent, child, and the 26
department of such date; (b) notify the parent of the right to be 27
represented by counsel and, if indigent, to have counsel appointed 28
for him or her by the court; (c) appoint legal counsel for the child; 29
(d) inform the child and his or her parent of the legal consequences 30
of the court approving or disapproving a child in need of services 31
petition; (e) notify the parents of their rights under this chapter 32
and chapters 11.130, 13.34, and 71.34 RCW, ((including)) and, except 33
for petitions filed pursuant to section 9 of this act, the right to 34
file an at-risk youth petition, the right to submit an application 35
for admission of their child to a treatment facility for alcohol, 36
chemical dependency, or mental health treatment, and the right to 37
file a guardianship petition; and (f) notify all parties, including 38
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the department, of their right to present evidence at the fact-1
finding hearing. 2
(2) Upon filing of a child in need of services petition , except 3
for a petition filed pursuant to section 9 of this act , the child may 4
be placed, if not already placed, by the department in a crisis 5
residential center, HOPE center, foster family home, group home 6
facility licensed under chapter 74.15 RCW, or any other suitable 7
residence to be determined by the department. The court may place a 8
child in a crisis residential center for a temporary out-of-home 9
placement as long as the requirements of RCW 13.32A.125 are met.10
(3) If the child has been placed in a foster family home or group 11
care facility under chapter 74.15 RCW, the child shall remain there, 12
or in any other suitable residence as determined by the department, 13
pending resolution of the petition by the court. Any placement may be 14
reviewed by the court within three judicial days upon the request of 15
the juvenile or the juvenile's parent. 16
Sec. 6. RCW 13.32A.170 and 2000 c 123 s 20 are each amended to 17
read as follows: 18
(1) The court shall hold a fact-finding hearing to consider a 19
proper child in need of services petition, giving due weight to the 20
intent of the legislature that families have the right to place 21
reasonable restrictions and rules upon their children, appropriate to 22
the individual child's developmental level. The court may appoint 23
legal counsel and/or a guardian ad litem to represent the child and 24
advise parents of their right to be represented by legal counsel. At 25
the commencement of the hearing, the court shall advise the parents 26
of their rights as set forth in RCW 13.32A.160(1). If the court 27
approves or denies a child in need of services petition, a written 28
statement of the reasons must be filed. 29
(2) The court may approve an order stating that the child shall 30
be placed in a residence other than the home of his or her parent 31
only if it is established by a preponderance of the evidence, 32
including a departmental recommendation for approval or dismissal of 33
the petition, that: 34
(a) The child is a child in need of services as defined in RCW 35
13.32A.030(5); 36
(b) If the petitioner is a child, he or she has made a reasonable 37
effort to resolve the conflict . This subsection does not apply to a 38
petition filed pursuant to section 9 of this act; 39
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(c) Reasonable efforts have been made to prevent or eliminate the 1
need for removal of the child from the child's home and to make it 2
possible for the child to return home; and 3
(d) A suitable out-of-home placement resource is available . This 4
subsection does not apply to a petition filed pursuant to section 9 5
of this act. 6
The court may not grant a petition filed by the child or the 7
department if it is established that the petition is based only upon 8
a dislike of reasonable rules or reasonable discipline established by 9
the parent. 10
The court may not grant the petition if the child is the subject 11
of a proceeding under chapter 13.34 RCW. 12
(3) Following the fact-finding hearing the court shall: (a) 13
Approve a child in need of services petition and, if appropriate, 14
enter a temporary out-of-home placement for a period not to exceed 15
((fourteen)) 14 days pending approval of a disposition decision to be 16
made under RCW 13.32A.179(2); (b) approve an at-risk youth petition 17
filed by the parents and dismiss the child in need of services 18
petition, unless the petition was filed pursuant to section 9 of this 19
act; or (c) dismiss the petition. 20
At any time the court may order the department to review the case 21
to determine whether the case is appropriate for a dependency 22
petition under chapter 13.34 RCW. 23
Sec. 7. RCW 13.32A.179 and 2000 c 123 s 21 are each amended to 24
read as follows: 25
(1) A disposition hearing shall be held no later than 26
((fourteen)) 14 days after the approval of the temporary out-of-home 27
placement. The parents, child, and department shall be notified by 28
the court of the time and place of the hearing. 29
(2) At the conclusion of the disposition hearing, the court may: 30
(a) Reunite the family and dismiss the petition; (b) approve an at-31
risk youth petition filed by the parents and dismiss the child in 32
need of services petition , unless the child in need of services 33
petition was filed pursuant to section 9 of this act ; (c) approve an 34
out-of-home placement requested in the child in need of services 35
petition by the parents unless the child in need of services petition 36
was filed pursuant to section 9 of this act ; or (d) order an out-of-37
home placement at the request of the child or the department not to 38
exceed ((ninety)) 90 days. 39
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At any time the court may order the department to review the 1
matter for purposes of filing a dependency petition under chapter 2
13.34 RCW. Whether or not the court approves or orders an out-of-home 3
placement, the court may also order any conditions of supervision as 4
set forth in RCW 13.32A.196(3). 5
(3) The court may only enter an order under subsection (2)(d) of 6
this section if it finds by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence 7
that: (a)(i) The order is in the best interest of the family; (ii) 8
the parents have not requested an out-of-home placement; (iii) the 9
parents have not exercised any other right listed in RCW 10
13.32A.160(1)(e); (iv) the child has made reasonable efforts to 11
resolve the problems that led to the filing of the petition; (v) the 12
problems cannot be resolved by delivery of services to the family 13
during continued placement of the child in the parental home; (vi) 14
reasonable efforts have been made to prevent or eliminate the need 15
for removal of the child from the child's home and to make it 16
possible for the child to return home; and (vii) a suitable out-of-17
home placement resource is available; (b)(i) the order is in the best 18
interest of the child; and (ii) the parents are unavailable; or (c) 19
the parent's actions cause an imminent threat to the child's health 20
or safety. (a)(ii), (iii), and (iv) of this subsection (3) do not 21
apply to petitions filed pursuant to section 9 of this act.22
(4) The court may order the department to submit a dispositional 23
plan if such a plan would assist the court in ordering a suitable 24
disposition in the case. The plan, if ordered, shall address the 25
needs of the child, and the perceived needs of the parents if the 26
order was entered under subsection (2)(d) of this section or if 27
specifically agreed to by the parents. If the parents do not agree or 28
the order was not entered under subsection (2)(d) of this section the 29
plan may only make recommendations regarding services in which the 30
parents may voluntarily participate. If the court orders the 31
department to prepare a plan, the department shall provide copies of 32
the plan to the parent, the child, and the court. If the parties or 33
the court desire the department to be involved in any future 34
proceedings or case plan development, the department shall be 35
provided with timely notification of all court hearings.36
(5) A child who fails to comply with a court order issued under 37
this section shall be subject to contempt proceedings, as provided in 38
this chapter, but only if the noncompliance occurs within one year 39
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after the entry of the order. This subsection does not apply to 1
petitions filed under section 9 of this act.2
(6) ((After)) Except for petitions filed under section 9 of this 3
act, after the court approves or orders an out-of-home placement, the 4
parents or the department may request, and the court may grant, 5
dismissal of the child in need of services proceeding when it is not 6
feasible for the department to provide services due to one or more of 7
the following circumstances: 8
(a) The child has been absent from court approved placement for 9
((thirty)) 30 consecutive days or more; 10
(b) The parents or the child, or all of them, refuse to cooperate 11
in available, appropriate intervention aimed at reunifying the 12
family; or 13
(c) The department has exhausted all available and appropriate 14
resources that would result in reunification. 15
(7) The court shall dismiss a placement made under subsection 16
(2)(c) of this section upon the request of the parents.17
Sec. 8. RCW 43.330.724 and 2022 c 137 s 4 are each amended to 18
read as follows: 19
(1) Subject to the amounts appropriated for this specific 20
purpose, the office of homeless youth prevention and protection 21
programs shall select, monitor, and provide funding and assistance 22
((for a minimum of six total )) statewide to counties that implement 23
housing stability for youth in crisis programs as described in this 24
section ((for a period of three years)). 25
(2) The housing stability for youth in crisis ((pilot)) programs 26
must include the following components: 27
(a) Regular trainings provided to all appropriate juvenile court 28
staff regarding risk factors and identifiers for youth homelessness;29
(b) An identification and referral system used throughout the 30
juvenile court system where all appropriate court staff use routine 31
data flags to identify youth at risk for youth homelessness and refer 32
youth to the housing stability coordinator described under (c) of 33
this subsection; 34
(c) A dedicated housing stability coordinator in each 35
participating county that receives referrals, conducts housing 36
stability assessments with youth and caregivers, connects youth and 37
caregivers with relevant community providers based on assessments, 38
and follows up on referrals; 39
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(d) A model of homelessness prevention services that provides the 1
appropriate amount of intervention based on the youth or family 2
needs; and 3
(e) Coordinated housing services for youth experiencing 4
homelessness. 5
(3) By October 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, and in 6
compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the office of homeless youth 7
prevention and protection programs shall submit a report to the 8
relevant committees of the legislature and the governor that 9
includes: 10
(a) An evaluation of the housing stability for youth in crisis 11
programs that includes outcome data for participants;12
(b) Recommendations for improving the housing stability for youth 13
in crisis programs; and 14
(c) ((Recommendation for expanding the housing stability for 15
youth in crisis programs.16
(4) This section expires July 1, 2026 )) Any other relevant 17
information as determined by the office of homeless youth prevention 18
and protection programs. 19
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. A new section is added to chapter 13.32A 20
RCW to read as follows: 21
(1) Prior to their release, a juvenile in detention or in the 22
physical custody of the juvenile court may file a child in need of 23
services petition with the juvenile court for the court to approve an 24
out-of-home placement and wrap-around services if the juvenile has 25
reason to believe there will be no parent, legal guardian, or 26
responsible adult to whom they can be released when legal 27
jurisdiction to detain ends. 28
(2) The petition is to be filed in the county where the child is 29
detained. 30
(3) If the juvenile may be released from detention or physical 31
custody of the court prior to the time of a scheduled fact-finding 32
hearing, the court shall schedule an emergency hearing to be held as 33
soon as possible and no later than the time that legal authority to 34
detain the juvenile ends. Hearsay shall be admissible at the 35
emergency hearing. If at the conclusion of the hearing the court 36
finds the juvenile successfully argues that their parents are not 37
able or willing to ensure their basic needs are met, the court shall 38
order the department to take custody of the juvenile pending the 39
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outcome of a fact-finding hearing under RCW 13.32A.170. Diligent 1
efforts must be made to notify the parents or legal guardians of this 2
emergency hearing. 3
(4) Court staff may refer juveniles to the housing stability for 4
youth in crisis programs, as provided for in RCW 43.330.724, where 5
they exist and within existing resources to assist with housing 6
stability by collaborating with shelter providers, the department, 7
juvenile court staff, community partners, host homes, parents, 8
guardians, kin, and other identified supporters to prevent 9
homelessness and ensure the juvenile transitions to safe housing. 10
Out-of-home placement assistance may involve providing vouchers to 11
juveniles or their families/friends to address immediate needs and 12
stabilize housing including, but not limited to, transportation, 13
vehicle repairs, and acquiring essential furniture.14
(5)(a) A juvenile in detention or in the physical custody of the 15
juvenile court shall be assigned counsel by the court or referred to 16
an available civil legal aid law firm to assist with preparing, 17
filing of court documents, and advising them of their legal rights 18
related to housing and other supports. 19
(b) Prior to the juvenile's release from detention or the 20
physical custody of the court, and while the child in need of 21
services fact-finding hearing is pending, the department is to: (i) 22
Offer services to help locate family, relatives, or kin, locally and 23
nationally, using the department's family search resources; and (ii) 24
offer and provide family reconciliation services to assist the 25
juvenile, family, or other responsible adult, as ordered by the 26
court, willing to support the juvenile to remedy issues that prevent 27
the juvenile from living with their family or other responsible 28
adults. 29
(6) A petition may not be filed if the juvenile is the subject of 30
a proceeding under chapter 13.34 RCW. 31
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. A new section is added to chapter 13.32A 32
RCW to read as follows: 33
Subject to funding appropriated for this specific purpose, the 34
department shall: 35
(1) Offer contracts to provide community-based family 36
reconciliation services in three regions served by the department, 37
two regions on the west side of the mountains, and one region on the 38
east side of the mountains by January 1, 2026; and39
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(2) Offer contracts to provide community-based family 1
reconciliation services statewide by January 1, 2030.2
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. A new section is added to chapter 13.32A 3
RCW to read as follows: 4
The partnership council on juvenile justice shall consider and 5
provide recommendations regarding the family reconciliation, child in 6
need of services, at-risk youth, and truancy systems in order to 7
develop recommendations to modernize this chapter and align its 8
intentions, goals, and services with other, newer chapters, including 9
chapter 43.330 RCW. The partnership council on juvenile justice is 10
authorized to consult with experts to study and gather research on 11
best practices regarding supports and services for family 12
reconciliation, at-risk youth, children in need of services, and 13
truancy, and to consult with relevant stakeholders regarding its 14
potential recommendations. Relevant stakeholders may include, but are 15
not limited to, the superior court judges association; Washington 16
association of juvenile court administrators; office of homeless 17
youth prevention and protection programs; office of the 18
superintendent of public instruction; community-based organizations 19
with expertise in unaccompanied youth, truancy professionals, and 20
youth shelter providers; law enforcement; prosecutors; public 21
defenders; incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth and young 22
adults; youth and young adults who have experienced homelessness; 23
parents who have experienced raising at-risk youth; chemical 24
dependency treatment providers; adolescent behavioral health 25
professionals; and the administrative office of the courts.26
By October 31, 2026, the partnership council on juvenile justice 27
shall report to the governor and appropriate committees of the 28
legislature recommendations for modernizing this chapter and other 29
necessary steps to develop a meaningful safety and support network to 30
address the needs of unaccompanied minors. Recommendations shall 31
consider restorative principles and best practices and shall be 32
developed in consultation with those who have been unaccompanied 33
minors; have experienced truancy, chemical dependency, or have been 34
children in need of services; and family members of youth who have 35
experienced truancy or at-risk behaviors. The partnership council on 36
juvenile justice shall provide recommendations for updating statutory 37
language, identifying gaps in the provision of services, recommending 38
pathways to address those gaps, recommending program implementation 39
p. 14 SB 5617
including, but not limited to, structure and placement within state 1
government; scope and scale of funding including eligibility 2
criteria; court processes as needed; and coordination with the 3
existing adolescent services. 4
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p. 15 SB 5617