Changes to Child Welfare, Mental Health Administration in Washington
Washington State House Bill 1661 (2017–2018) was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee on July 6, 2017, bringing major changes to child welfare administration in the state. Nearly two years later, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Children’s Administration and the Department of Learning have combined to form the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), and more changes are slated for July 2019. This summer, DSHS’ juvenile rehabilitation division, Office of Juvenile Justice, and the Working Connections Child Care program are also shifting from DSHS to DCYF.
According to the final bill report for HB 1661, the “stated intent of this new agency is to improve the delivery of services and the outcomes for children and families through delivery of these services by housing early learning, child welfare, and juvenile justice services in the same agency.” It’s a direct response to the final report and recommendations of the Washington State Blue Ribbon Commission on Delivery of Service to Children and Families, created by Governor Inslee’s Executive Order 16–03.
The Commission found that state services weren’t organized “in a way that achieves the best outcomes for children, youth, and families” and that “there should be a single department whose mission is centered on child safety, early learning, and the social, emotional, and physical well-being of children, youth, and families…”. A cabinet-level agency, DCYF’s mission is to “protect children and strengthen families so they flourish.”
DCYF delivers services for families, youth, and child care providers ranging early learning and independent living skills, to foster parenting and adoption. You can learn more about DCYF’s services on their website. The agency is guided by Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Chapter 43.216, which provides the statutory authority for regulations found in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Title 110, undergirded by a number of other policies and procedures on child welfare and child care licensing.
Another piece of legislation, HB 1388 (2017–2018) will further alter the work of DSHS in the coming months. State behavioral health authority will shift from that agency to the Health Care Authority, and authority for the licensing and certification of behavioral health providers moves to the Department of Health. HB 1388 was signed by the governor in March 2018. DSHS will continue to provide service in aging and long-term care, public benefits, developmental disabilities, state psychiatric hospitals (Eastern State and Western State Hospitals), among other areas. (EK)
