Proposed Bills Strive To Make DSHS More Efficient, More Protective Of Children

Olympia -The Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee heard two bills sponsored by Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, which will make the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) more efficient and more protective of children. Under Senate Bill 5872, the responsibilities of the Children’s Administration and Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration will be removed from DSHS and placed under a new, separate Department of Family and Children’s Services. Stevens believes the mission of these two administrations, the safety and well-being of children, is being compromised by the size and complexity of DSHS. Last year, the Children’s Administration within DSHS was hit hard by a poor ranking in a federal review. In November 2004, an agency investigator from the state Child Protective Services (CPS) missed a deadline in a case which resulted in the deaths of two brothers from Kent. The agency later estimated 3,000 other cases statewide had passed a mandatory 90-day window for investigation. “Change never comes easily,” Stevens said. “For years I have believed in the idea of splitting apart the massive Department of Social and Health Services to better serve the vulnerable citizens it is charged with protecting.” “Think of DSHS as a very large, but rotted tree,” said Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, co-sponsor of both bills. “By cutting off the branches and rooting them in the ground you can have a better tree.” “This is a time for change,” said Jack Smith, a representative from the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration who testified in favor of SB 5872. DSHS was created in 1970 to combine the powers, duties and functions in the then-separate departments of public assistance, institutions, veterans’ rehabilitation council and vocational rehabilitation. Over the years, the types of services DSHS provides have changed and expanded. In 1981, the Department of Corrections was created, taking those functions out of DSHS. In 1989, the same steps were taken to create a separate Department of Health. Stevens’ other bill, heard by the Senate committee earlier this week, Senate Bill 5873, will add more responsibilities to the Office of the Family and Children’s Ombudsman (OFCO). OFCO will assess individual casework of CPS and Child Welfare Services (CWS) caseload-carrying employees and their supervisors, chosen at random. OFCO will also assess caseload levels and access to clerical support. “Good case work by social workers needs to be supported. They must have the resources they need in order to do their job well and when they fall short of the professional work expected to protect children, they must be held accountable,” Stevens said.