Achieve Racial Equity in Child Welfare Services

Washington

In 2007, Substitute House Bill 1472 (SHB 1472) created the Washington State Racial Disproportionality Advisory Committee (Committee) to determine if racial disproportionality exists in Washington State. The bill gave the Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) the responsibility of convening an advisory committee to analyze and make recommendations on the disproportionate representation of children of color in the Washington State child welfare system. The Committee is composed of 15 experts in the fields of social work and child welfare, including a representative of the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, and is responsible for ongoing evaluation of current and prospective policies and procedures affecting racial disproportionality and disparity. To ensure the input of constituent and community voices, the Committee also includes a current or former foster care youth, current or former foster care parent, and parent previously involved with Washington’s child welfare system, and representatives of community-based organizations. In June 2008, the Committee implemented a community engagement process to solicit comments, suggestions, and strategies on how to effectively reduce and eliminate program and service disparities.

In 2007, the Committee partnered with the Washington State Institute of Public Policy for technical assistance. The Institute identified 58,005 children statewide who had a referral for child abuse and neglect in 2004 and followed their involvement in the child welfare system until November 2007. The data was disaggregated by racial and ethnic group and by geographic region. Data revealed Indian, Black, and Hispanic children were present in the system at rates greater than White children. Relative to white children, Indian children were nearly three times as likely to be referred to CPS and over six times as likely to be in foster care for over two years. Disproportionality also existed for Asian children who were under-represented in Washington.

In 2008, the Washington State legislature passed SB 5882. The legislation directs the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to evaluate the impact of Family Team Decision Making and Structured Decision Making on racial disproportionality in Washington's child welfare system and report its findings to the legislature and the Department of Social and Health Services in September, 2010.