Marna Miller - May 2004

When children are removed from home due to child abuse or neglect or because of the child’s behavior, the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) may file a dependency case in the court. Or, in cases where parents agree to the placement, services may be provided to the family to help resolve their problems without going to court. In both instances, when it is possible to do so safely, the goal of DSHS is to reunify the family.

Between 1995 and 2002, the annual number of reunifications dropped by 31 percent. The Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to identify factors that reduce family reunifications in Washington. To do this, we merged administrative records from DSHS with court records of dependencies for the same children. We found that most of the reduction in reunifications has occurred because the number of out-of-home placements has dropped, not because of any significant change in rate of reunification.

Steve Lerch - May 2004

In April 2004, the Institute was asked by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), the Office of Financial Management (OFM), and legislative staff to review the Medical Assistance Administration (MAA) expenditure forecast process and to make recommendations on how to improve it. This report summarizes the final recommendations.

Robert Barnoski - March 2004

The 1997 Washington State Legislature enacted the Community Juvenile Accountability Act (CJAA) to test the use of “research-based” programs to reduce juvenile offender recidivism. The act required the use of a risk assessment to assign youth to these programs. The Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators worked with the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (Institute) to develop the Washington State Juvenile Court Assessment (WSJCA). The assessment was implemented in 1999 as a two-stage process. The first stage is a pre-screen assessment completed for all youth placed on probation. The second stage, a full assessment, is required for youth assessed as moderate or high risk on the pre-screen. This report examines the validity of the pre-screen and full assessment.

Robert Barnoski - March 2004

The 2003 Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to determine if there are changes to Washington’s sentencing structure that could reduce the growth in the prison population, and its associated costs, without endangering public safety. Our findings will be published in two parts. In this report—Part I—we provide an overall context for the study by reviewing Washington’s sentencing system and examining the growth trends of the prison population. Part II of this study, which estimates the impact that prison sentences have on recidivism, was published in June 30, 2004.

Robert Barnoski - March 2004

The 1997 Community Juvenile Accountability Act (CJAA) specified that the Washington State Department of Social and Health Service’s Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, in consultation with the Washington Association of Juvenile Court Administrators, the State Law and Justice Advisory Council, and the Family Policy Council, establish guidelines for the Community Juvenile Accountability Programs. These requirements necessitated the development of a comprehensive assessment designed to meet the requirements of the Washington State Association of Juvenile Court Administrators and the 1997 CJAA. This report is the manual for this assessment, called the Washington State Juvenile Court Assessment (WSJCA).

Marna Miller - March 2004

The 2001 Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to investigate how reductions in court delays may influence foster care costs. In the courts, child dependency cases range in duration from a single day to five years or more. Over the course of a case, children may be placed in multiple, temporary settings. Logic suggests that the longer a dependency is open in the court, the more time children will spend in state-paid foster care. Court continuances (the postponement of hearings or trials) could be expected to extend the life of a court case, and hence, the time a child spends in foster care. This study examines how court continuances in dependency cases affect the time children spend in state foster care, and also examines the effects of continuances on the length of dependency and termination cases.

Marna Miller - February 2004

In 2001, the Washington State Legislature adopted recommendations from the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) and created three alternative routes to certification for prospective teachers in Washington. The legislation directed the Institute to evaluate the programs and produce a final report by December 2004. This update describes the evaluation steps undertaken in 2003 and plans for 2004.

Steve Lerch - February 2004

In response to a performance audit of the state’s mental health system, the 2001 Washington State Legislature passed ESSB 5583, which calls for the development of an outcomes-based performance system to be implemented by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). This legislation also directs the Institute to conduct a longitudinal study of long-term state-funded mental health client outcomes. This report describes the research steps involved in the longitudinal study and provides preliminary information on the sample of individuals to be analyzed.

Marna Miller - February 2004

The Dependency and Termination Equal Justice Committee (DTEJC) was established by the Office of Public Defense, at legislative direction, to study several aspects of child dependency cases. To inform itself about service providers and practices of the courts and of DSHS, the DTEJC elected to survey five populations. This report focuses on the survey of chemical dependency treatment providers.

For reports on related surveys click on the links below.

Court Survey
Evaluator Survey
Service Provider Survey
Social Work Supervisor Survey
Timing of Services to Parents

Marna Miller - February 2004

The Dependency and Termination Equal Justice Committee (DTEJC) was established by the Office of Public Defense, at legislative direction, to study several aspects of child dependency cases. To inform itself about service providers and practices of the courts and of DSHS, the DTEJC elected to survey five populations. This report focuses on the survey of the juvenile courts.

For reports on related surveys click on the links below.

Chemical Dependency Treatment Provider Survey
Evaluator Survey
Service Provider Survey
Social Work Supervisor Survey
Timing of Services to Parents