Child Welfare QA

When a child or group of children meets the legal criteria for an emergent response or is determined to be at "imminent risk" of harm, a worker must initiate a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation and make face-to-face contact with the child within 24 hours of receipt of the report. During state fiscal year 2021, 98.1 percent of children in emergent reports were seen within 24 hours, 0.4 percentage points below the performance target.

A Child Protective Services (CPS) report meeting the criteria for a non-emergent response requires workers to initiate a CPS investigation or a CPS Family Assessment Response (FAR) and make face-to-face contact with the child within 72 hours of receipt of the report. During state fiscal year 2021, 98.5 percent of children in non-emergent reports were seen within 72 hours, 1.5 percentage points above the performance target.

A child experiences re-abuse or recurrence when he or she has experienced a founded allegation of abuse or neglect within 12 months of a previous finding of abuse or neglect. An allegation is founded if the worker concluded that the maltreatment likely occurred. For reports with multiple allegations, the report is considered founded if any of the allegations are founded. State fiscal year reflects the year of the first founded allegation and we must wait 12 months to determine if there was a new founded allegation. In state fiscal year 2019 the rate of recurrence was 7.8 percent, 1.8 percentage points above the federal performance target of 6.0 percent.

Recurrence of Maltreatment, SFY 2010-2019

 

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Recurrence of Maltreatment, SFY 2010-2019

Source: DCYF. (August 2021). Child welfare priority performance measures [July 2009-June 2019]. infoFamlink.
Notes: Percentage of children with a founded allegation of abuse or neglect who had another founded allegation within 12 months. This measure excludes additional reports in the first 14 days

DCYF works to ensure the safety of children who are in the placement and care authority of DCYF, including children who are placed in licensed care, those placed with unlicensed kin, and those placed with their parents on a trial return home. We measure the number of founded reports of maltreatment for the total number of days children were in DCYF placement and care authority and display this as the rate of maltreatment per 100,000 care-days. In state fiscal year 2020, the rate was 8.3; the federal target is 6.8 or less.

Rate of Victimization of Children in Out-of-Home Care, per 100,000 Days in Care, SFY 2010-2020

 

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Rate of Victimization of Children in Out-of-Home Care, per 100,000 Days in Care, SFY 2010-2020

Source: DCYF. (August 2021). Child welfare priority performance measures [July 2009-June 2020]. infoFamlink.
Notes: Number of days per 100,000 days in the care and custody of the state that children are abused or neglected, regardless of the type of perpetrator. Founded reports a week or less after removal are not included.

Washington state law requires DCYF to monitor a random sample of no less than 10 percent of the total number of DCYF licensed family foster homes by July 1 of each year and to report the results annually (RCW 74.13.260; RCW 74.13.031(6)). In state fiscal year 2021, 12.8 percent of licensed homes received a random health and safety visit.

Licensed Foster Homes Monitored Annually, SFY 2010-2021

 

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Licensed Foster Homes Monitored Annually, SFY 2010-2021

Source: DCYF. (August 2021). DLR health and safety visits [July 2009-June 2021]. infoFamlink.

When a child is placed in agency custody, DCYF strives to see the child at least once during each calendar month. During state fiscal year 2021, 97.6 percent of children in out-of-home placement received a visit from their worker each month, which is 2.6 percentage points higher than the federal performance target of 95 percent

Children in Placement Who Receive a Monthly Health and Safety Visit, SFY 2010-2021

 

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Children in Placement Who Receive a Monthly Health and Safety Visit, SFY 2010-2021

Source: DCYF. (August 2021). Monthly social worker visits with child [July 2009-June 2021]. infoFamlink.

Since 2016, the proportion of White children and youth in out-of-home care has decreased by two percentage points, and the proportion of American Indian/Alaska Native children and youth has increased by two percentage points. The proportion of other racial/ethnic groups has not changed substantially over the past six years.

Children and Youth in Out-of-Home Care by Race/Ethnicity, Last Day of SFY 2016-2021

 

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Children and Youth in Out-of-Home Care by Race/Ethnicity, Last Day of SFY 2016-2021

Source: DCYF. (August 2021). Relative versus non-relative [July 2015-June 2021]. infoFamlink.
WSRDAC/M: American Indian/Alaska Native, Multiracial combined with American Indian/Alaska Native and Black/African American, Multiracial combined with Black/African American.

On the last day of the state fiscal year, 2021, there were 6,952 children in out-of-home care. Washington has one of the highest kinship care placement rates among all states in the nation. On the last day of the state fiscal year, 2021, 46.9 percent of all children and youth under 18 in out-of-home care were placed with kin or relatives.