Dependency 101 A Students Journey Jill Malat J

Dependency 101: A Student’s Journey Jill Malat, J. D. – Children’s Representation Program Manager, Office of Civil Legal Aid Erin Shea Mc. Cann, J. D. – E. S. Mc. Cann, LLC

Introductions Who’s in the room?

Acronyms and legal jargon and abbreviations, oh my! DSHS CPS CFWS Child’s Attorney General / AG CASA / GAL Shelter Care Fact Finding …AND MORE!

Acronyms and legal jargon and abbreviations, oh my! In-home Dependency Out-of-home Care Relative / Kinship Care FTDM Independent Living Program (ILP) Extended Foster Care Permanency Termination (TPR) …AND MORE!

POC Child Well-being Data Portal pocdata. org Who experiences? Rates by race / ethnicity Who reported? Siblings placed together What types of CA/N? Data by county

The Big Picture: By the Numbers 48, 218 CPS investigations (1/1/17) ** far more referrals 30, 046 neglect 13, 910 physical abuse 2, 129 sexual abuse 9, 061 children in out-of-home care (1/1/18) 43% are 0 -4 yo 26% are 5 -9 yo 19% are 10 -14 yo 12% are 15 -17 yo

Racial Disproportionality Permeates all stages the child welfare system Disparity index for children of color All CPS intakes = 5. 29 CPS screened in intakes = 5. 72 Removals within 12 months of intake = 8. 24 In care for more than 2 years = 5. 75 Moved twice or more during first 12 months of placement = 6. 3

Other Numbers? # of licensed foster homes ~ 6, 500 foster homes Est. CA homes: ~ 4, 900 (75%) Est. CPA homes: ~ 1, 600 (25%) Not all licensed home are “active” # in Extended Foster Care (as of April 2018) 641 young people 44% age 18 / 29% age 19 / 27% age 20 465 of those young people are in a supervised independent living situation 176 are in a foster care setting

Other Numbers? 2016 Office of Homeless Youth Report Nearly 13, 000 young people (under 25) in WA experience homelessness over the course of a year Nearly 6, 000 unaccompanied youth in WA public K-12 schools experience homelessness

The Systems — DSHS =Dept. of Social & Health Services 8 Administrations w/one Secretary serving the entire DSHS Aging & L-T Care; Behavioral Health; Developmental Disabilities; Economic Svcs. ; Financial Svcs. ; Rehabilitation; Services & Enterprise Support CA = Children’s Administration, which is led by an Asst. Sec. who reports to the Sec. of DSHS CPS = Child Protective Services Investigation CFWS = Child & Family Welfare Services Handoff from investigation to dependency

The Systems — DCYF New DCYF = Department of Children, Youth & Families CA & Dept. of Early Learning move to DCYF on 7/1/18 Juvenile Justice (JRA) on 7/1/19 Sec. (Executive Cabinet member) reporting to Governor on children, youth & family issues Attend Laurie Lippold’s 3: 00 workshop for more info about DCYF & the 2018 legislative session!

The People Young people Child’s attorney (maybe? ) Family of origin / bio family GAL or CASA (volunteer) CPS investigator CASA attorney (maybe? ) CFWS social worker Attorney General Educational advocate Judge / Commissioner Social supports for young people Relatives / kin, suitable others Licensed foster parents Takeaway: young people involved with child welfare have had a LOT of people in / out of their life / their case…

The Life of a Case (generally!) CPS • Allegation • Screening decision • Investigation • CPS - FAR • FRS CFWS • • Dependency petition filed Shelter care hearing Dependency fact finding Determination of dependency • In-home services (6 mos. ) • Out-of-home care • Goal = reunification

…the Life of a Case (generally!) CFWS • • Permanency / concurrent planning Review hearings every 6 mos Trial return home Dismiss or move for TPR • Termination petition filed • TPR trial • Possibility of appeal • Legally free • 3 rd party custody • Adoption

…the Life of a Case (generally!) Post. TPR • • Permanency Age out Opt-in to Extended Foster Care Reinstatement of Parental Rights EFC • Dependent youth can voluntarily stay in FC after 18 to continue receiving housing & support until age 21 • Optional program, but some eligibility requirements • Expanded this year so that youth can leave & come back at any point after their 18 th birthday

Reflections… This is LONG and complex process — moving timelines & targets Young people may move foster placements MANY times Shortage of foster homes Especially challenging to find FHs for older youth With every placement change = educational disruption

Reflections… Social worker turnover impacts youth Youth with complex needs — mental health; substance abuse; developmental disability — face even more challenges in a resourcedrained system Others?

Learn more… A System in Crisis (link) Partnership b/w KCTS 9, Crosscut, Investigate. West & Documentary Producer Bryan Tucker CA’s independence. wa. gov (link) Jobs, education, housing, budget, health, self-advocacy, LGBTQ Eligibility! Partners for Our Children Data Portal DCYF alerts for updates

Questions?

Thank you! jill. malat@ocla. wa. gov erin@esmccann. com