Washington Courts: News and Information

“Instilling Hope”: Family Reunifications Celebrated as New State Law Emphasizes Keeping Families Together

A record number of Washington counties are hosting Family Reunification Day celebrations this summer, bringing parents and children together with judicial officers, child welfare workers, community members and others to recognize the hard work and the support that bring families back together after separation. The events recognize both families who have completed reunifications, and those now working to reunify their families.

More than 20 counties across the state are planning celebrations this summer, the fifth year of the statewide recognition.

The 2023 Family Reunification celebrations take place as a new state law, the Keeping Families Together Act (HB 1227), goes into effect on July 1. The law recognizes the enduring trauma caused by children’s removal from their families, and raises the standards under which courts can order children removed from their parents. If children must be removed to prevent imminent harm, significant efforts must be made to find suitable placement within their family.

While June is proclaimed Family Reunification Month in Washington, courts and communities celebrate throughout the summer. Details of local celebrations can be found on the Administrative Office of the Courts’ (AOC’s) Family Reunification Day page, which is updated as new event details become available.

“Celebrating parents with their families is so important in this work. It’s acknowledging all the hard work of the parents and celebrating the family as a unit,” said Tonia McClanahan, a Parent Representative with the state Office of Public Defense who serves as co-chair of the state Family Reunification Day Steering Committee. 

“Families are meant to be together,” she said. “When we as part of our communities support the celebrations, we instill hope in those still struggling and hope in each other. Thank you for recognizing our families.”

As of March 2023, more than 7,200 children were placed in out-of-home care in Washington. Reunification of families is the primary goal of “dependency,” the legal process in which dependent children are taken into the oversight of the state. The majority of children separated from their parents — about 60 percent — return home after parents make improvements that are guided by child welfare workers and monitored by courts.

The statewide recognition of Family Reunification Month is sponsored by the Washington Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care, which is co-chaired by Supreme Court Justice Barbara Madsen and Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Secretary Ross Hunter.  The Commission launched the celebration in 2018 to highlight the primary goal of reunifying families when struggles have led to separation.

However, many community celebrations were just developing when the pandemic hit.

“It’s been a long road back. While we realize the many issues facing our courts in ‘getting back to normal’ post-Covid, the celebration of the reunified family is an important goal for every court,” said Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Basset, co-chair of the state Family Reunification Day Steering Committee. “Showing our support for their ongoing success not only sends the message that we stand behind them, but also demonstrates our commitment to families, including to those who are new to the dependency system.”

The Washington Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care was established in 2005 and brings together judges, legislators, attorneys, child welfare officials, and representatives of foster parents, birth parents and foster youth who have the knowledge and ability to improve the journeys of foster children through the dependency process. The Commission acts by improving court processes, laws, regulations and policies so children can move safely and more quickly into stable homes, either through reunification with parents or through adoption.

CONTACT: Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Bassett, Co-Chair, Family Reunification Month Steering Committee, jbassett@co.kitsap.wa.us; Parent Representative Tonia McClanahan, Steering Committee Co-Chair, Tonia.McClanahan@opd.wa.gov ; or Lorrie Thompson, Senior Communications Officer, Lorrie.Thompson@courts.wa.gov.