Commission on Children in Foster CareJuly 2, 2014Washington State Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care Members present: Justice Bobbe Bridge, (ret.) Washington State Supreme Court, Commission Co-Chair Members not present: Assistant Secretary Jennifer Strus (co-chair); Ms. Joanne Moore; Ms. Beth Canfield Guest present: Ms. Jill Malat, Office of Civil Legal Aid; Ms. Cindy Bricker, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC); Chief Justice Barbara Madsen, Washington State Supreme Court; Congressman Dave Reichert; Congressman Dave Reichert; Representative Reuven Carlyle; Senator Jeannie Darneille; Representative Ruth Kagi; Justice Mary Fairhurst; Chief Justice Barbara Madsen; Senator Jamie Pedersen Staff present: Ms. Jessica Birklid, CCFC Intern, CCYJ Staff not present: Ms. Paula Malleck-Odegaard, Administrative Office of the Courts ____________________________________________________________________ Call to Order: Justice Bridge called the meeting to order at the 2014 Foster Youth and Alumni Leadership Summit at Seattle University. Welcome and Introductions: Mr. Jim Theofelis, Executive Director of The Mockingbird Society, welcomed everyone and thanked the Commission, community members, youth, Summit sponsors, and agencies represented. He introduced the Summit’s goals and the process for the Summit presentations. Youth and alumni from across the state, representing all three Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) regions, have a designated time to present recommendations to the Commission, followed by questions. Mr. Theofelis explained that the Summit has become a place where youth can recommend new policies or promote current policies that they support and believe will help improve the foster care system. Justice Bridge welcomed Commission members and thanked the Mockingbird Society for the opportunity to hear from youth. Each Commission member introduced themselves. Justice Bridge stressed that this meeting is their most important one of the year in that Commission members are able to hear from the consumers of the system that they are working to improve. It was noted how effective these Summits have historically been at making change. Everett Chapter Youth from Everett discussed problematic group home placements. Youth believe group home placements should be rare, therapeutic, time limited, and approved by the courts. Youth reported personally experiencing inadequate care in group home living. One individual discussed a friend with fetal alcohol syndrome who was placed in a group home because there were no qualified foster parents available. A Yakima youth was placed in a juvenile detention center because it was the only open bed, though she had not committed a crime. Youth proposed that court approval be required for all group home placements. They called for the Washington State Institution for Public Policy (WSIPP) to evaluate group homes and their practices using the following guidelines:
Ms. Edith Hitchings discussed a new mental health evaluation program that all BRS youth must complete. (WISe, Wraparound with Intensive Services). Every BRS child is screened to assess if they can be kept in the community with intensive services rather than be sent to facilities. Justice Bridge asked if a legislative solution was needed or if changing internal practice would be sufficient. Youth responded that legislation would provide clear guidance and authority to the courts. Representative Kagi said that while Washington has dramatically reduced the number of group home beds in recent years, a major barrier to continued reduction is the critical shortage of foster parents. Spokane Chapter: Youth from Spokane discussed the importance of helping undocumented youth in state custody get on track for legal residency and citizenship whenever possible. Many undocumented youth in care are brought to the country with their parents prior to ending up in the foster care system. Estimates suggest that at least 300 of the state’s children in care are undocumented. The proposed solution is for a Children’s Administration (CA) policy change that ensures social workers initiate the process to apply for residency or naturalization for eligible children. Though there are costs to this proposal, there are also benefits: with a pathway to residency, undocumented youth will start to contribute tax revenue. Mr. Jacob D’Annunzio asked how many undocumented youth in care actually get documented and what the barriers are. Youth responded that precise estimates are difficult because there is no one state agency that tracks this. It is difficult to get necessary documents, such as a birth certificate from the home country or information verifying the individual’s identity. Rep. Kagi said this will become an even bigger issue as more unaccompanied minors are brought to the state. One audience member discussed his experience walking youth through the difficult process of obtaining documentation and asked if there was a streamlined process. Congressman Reichert reported that legislation recently passed by the Congress sets requirements for providing foster youth key pieces of documentation and provides money to do so. Seattle Chapter:
Olympia Chapter: The Olympia Chapter reported that youth in care are subject to inappropriate levels of psychotropic medication. Foster youth are more likely to be over medicated than non-foster care peers. Youth shared stories of being prescribed numerous medications and the negative consequences they have suffered. To address this, youth discussed lowering the number of medications that trigger automatic reviews from five prescriptions to two. While Washington has already taken effective steps to address the overuse of these medications, there is still inadequate access to effective alternatives to medication. They also want to ensure youth are connected to psycho-social supports or alternatives in instances where the review deems medication inappropriate. Ms. Morrison asked if it was true that after the age of 14 youth can deny mental health services. Youth responded that while this may be true not all youth are notified of their rights. Mr. Bamberger asked who conducts the review and how it is done. The Medicaid Board reviews cases on an individual basis. Mr. D’Annunzio asked how the youth think that alternative options should be provided in rural and smaller jurisdictions. Justice Bridge asked if the Medicaid Board has the authority now to review at two medications or if they would need to be granted authority from someone else. An audience member replied that the Health Care Authority writes the rules and the Partnership Access Line (PAL) does the second reviews. When prescriptions are filled, if there are five or more medications the case gets sent to the PALs line. The five medication limit is set by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS rules dictate that the Health Care Authority cannot change the rules for a subpopulation, and instead there would need to be an across the board change for everyone under 18. Congressman Reichert said that he will communicate with CMS to clarify the limitations and clear up any uncertainty. Rep. Kagi said the state is working hard to expand evidence based practices so that there are appropriate alternatives to medication available. Yakima Chapter: Youth from Yakima discussed the importance of providing more effective trainings for foster parents. They believe that a change in the process will better prepare foster parents and enhance the lives of children placed in their care. New foster parents often have inadequate training before youth are placed in their care, making them unprepared. Currently, newly licensed caregivers are required to take the Caregiver Core Training (CCT) given through the Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence. Beyond this, the Caregiver Continuing Education (CCE) is accessible after licensure. Youth feel that while these are great trainings but that there are gaps in what caregivers learn and that caregivers are not encouraged to pursue trainings on complex issues before receiving their licenses. In response, youth proposed that CCE trainings be made available before earning one’s foster care license. As an incentive, these trainings should apply to ongoing annual training requirements. CCE trainings should help foster parents care for youth with specific needs, such as LGBTQ and pregnant or parenting youth. These trainings will cost more but are a good investment, allowing children to be placed in homes that are better fits and increasing stability. It may also improve foster parent retention rates, as foster parents feel better prepared to deal with complex situations and have more positive interactions with youth. Mr. Canfield said that the CCT Unit is having this same discussion. They would like to allow foster parents to take more training before they get licensed and have this count towards annual requirements. The Foster Parents Association of Washington holds numerous conferences and trainings across the state and would love to provide more training to fill in the gaps that the youth see. Mr. Kingston asked what is being done across the state to address foster parent retention since the shortage of caregivers affects many areas. Ms. Hitchings said CA is in the process of moving recruitment efforts back to the regional and local level, rather than statewide. Mr. D’Annunzio asked what mode of training is envisioned. Youth replied that they looked at the BRS model, which is more intensive, and how they might be able to train foster parents in BRS. They also considered a double parent standard, which says that in order for foster parents to renew their licenses both parents must complete training and be certified. They would also like to prepare caregivers to recognize when prescribed medication is not working. Tacoma Chapter: Youth from Tacoma discussed the importance of having consistent youth involvement in child welfare system trainings, like CCT. They described a foster parent who expressed a desire for more interactive trainings and role plays that prepare for real-life scenarios. The lack of youth input in these trainings results in reduced understandings between caregivers and foster youth. Youth propose the Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence work with The Mockingbird Society and other groups to increase the amount of in-person interaction foster parents have with youth and alumni of care in pre-licensure trainings. The youth pointed out that their experiences make them an invaluable resource and they welcome an environment where they can contribute their expertise. Their involvement can support better outcomes for the next generation of foster parents and youth. Ms. Carrie Wayno asked what training topics youth are typically involved in now and what the appropriate amount of participation would be. Youth replied that they want to be included throughout the entire process. Mr. Canfield said that the Foster Parents Association of Washington has Passion to Action, CA’s youth advisory board, come to trainings and give a one hour presentation. Foster parents find this portion very powerful. Ms. Kee said that Passion to Action is also involved in CCT and would welcome a partnership to expand this engagement across the state. Mr. Ryan Murrey suggested that youth use the term “engagement” rather than training because what they are talking about is authentic engagement, interaction, and learning between foster parents and youth. Commission Debrief Justice Bridge thanked the youth for their presentations, and each Commission member took the opportunity to give their support and thanks to the youth, commenting on the youths’ hard work, effective presentations, and passion. Members said that experiences like today remind them of how important it is to make sure the youth’s voice is heard and informs all parts of their work. Justice Bridge said that the Commission will be following up on these presentations at the next Commission meeting, and will look to make these recommendations a reality. Next Meeting The date for the next Commission meeting is Monday, September 14, 2014 at the Temple of Justice, Chief Justice’s Reception Room. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Jessica Birklid, CCFC Intern |
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