Our Voice: Separate state agency needed for kids

The state’s child welfare system is failing our most fragile kids, according to lawmakers and those who work in social services.

And it needs to be fixed now.

A number of bills that would, in particular, help youths in foster care already have been approved in the House, and we encourage the Senate to follow suit.

Of notable importance is House Bill 1661, which would create a Department of Children, Youth and Family. This means there would be one single department overseeing child safety, early learning and the overall well-being of children, teens and families.

The benefit would be that kids would have their own special place in the bureaucratic maze of social services, which should lead to a more streamlined approach and replace the patchwork system currently in play.

Several states around the country have adopted a similar strategy in order to better help troubled families and the kids who end up caught in the suffering — including Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and Wisconsin.

Currently in Washington, children and family programs are under the umbrella of the state Department of Social and Health Services, an agency that also manages help for the elderly, the disabled, people with mental health issues and those who need assistance with food and housing.

The magnitude of responsibility at DSHS has meant that family services sometimes get bumped down the priority list, which is unfortunate because giving children help early can alleviate the need to provide more social services later on.

Acknowledging this, Gov. Jay Inslee last year established the Washington State Blue Ribbon Commission on Delivery of Services to Children and Families. The group was charged with recommending a way to structure the new department.

The 16-member commission included bipartisan lawmakers, officials from state agencies, a judge, a juvenile court administrator and representatives from tribal governments.

Their work has led to the present proposal, which made it out of the House on a bi-partisan vote of 77-19.

Reps. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, and Larry Haler, R-Richland, voted in favor of the legislation.

Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Seattle, who is sponsoring the bill, told the Seattle Times that the state’s foster care network is “in crisis,” because there are not enough available homes for foster kids in the system.

Carmen Bowser, the foster care program manager for Catholic Family & Child Service in Richland, echoed that sentiment.

The Mid-Columbia area has an average of about 800 children and youths in the foster care system, and there is a critical need for more suitable homes for the “most vulnerable” kids in our community, Bowser said.

Without enough foster homes in the state, siblings are separated, children are moved out of their home county and — in urgent situations — end up temporarily in hotel rooms.

The proposed new children’s agency is a necessary first step in addressing foster care challenges.

We know the Legislature’s top priority this session is figuring out a way to equitably fund education. But kids need to be cared for properly before they can learn anything at school.

In addition, House Bill 1808 would help teens in foster care take driver’s education courses and get a driver’s license, and House Bill 1867 helps young people ages 18-21 who were in foster care to continue getting support.

A related Senate bill, SB 5241, which now awaits action in the House, would allow school districts to waive courses and allow partial credit to students who have withdrawn from school because of homelessness or being moved to different foster care homes.

All these legislative proposals should be approved and sent to the governor's desk for his signature. Bill by bill, lawmakers can make a difference.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 4:54 AM with the headline "Our Voice: Separate state agency needed for kids."