Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Washington counties celebrate families coming back together, after work and help

Counties across Washington will take time in June to recognize parents who work to heal and reunify their families, as well as the extended family members, child welfare workers, court staff and community members who support them.

In the second year of the new statewide celebration of Family Reunification Month, the number of counties celebrating has doubled from eight to 16. The celebrations are planned throughout the month of June and are hosted by courts, child welfare offices, parent advocates and others. A list of celebrations can be found at www.courts.wa.gov/familyreunification.

The statewide celebration was launched in 2018 by the Washington Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care in order to raise awareness of the hard work being done by thousands of parents to learn and improve, and the importance of bringing families back together whenever possible.

“We know how hard family separations are and we know the best outcome for children is to return to stable, loving parents,” said Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Bassett, who serves as Chair of the Washington Family Reunification Month Steering Committee. “We also recognize the importance of the support given these parents by their extended family members and their communities. There is a lot to celebrate when a family successfully comes back together.”

Safe reunification of families is the primary goal of “dependency,” the legal process in which dependent children are taken into the oversight of the state because of deficiencies in adequate care and safety within the home. 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.

In 2018, more than 15,000 children in Washington were living in out-of-home care (“foster care”). More than 6,100 were placed in out-of-home care in 2018, with 6,055 children leaving out-of-home care in 2018 — 3,792 were reunified with their parents, 1,313 were adopted, 451 were placed in guardianships, and 499 exited in other ways, such as aging out of the system as adults.

For the past decade, family dependency court processes have evolved to include a team approach, similar to therapeutic drug or veteran courts, which addresses the underlying causes of problem behaviors, such as addictions and mental health issues. The dependency process requires specific improvements, provides guidance and monitoring, and holds participants responsible for changing patterns and meeting significant requirements for bringing their family back together and having their cases dismissed.

“Children do better when their parents heal and are healthy,” said Spokane Superior Court Commissioner Michelle Ressa, a member of the Family Reunification Day Steering Committee. “I am in awe of parents who transform their lives while working through the dependency process in my courtroom. They are amazing, strong, courageous human beings with a lot to give to their children and society.”

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, chair, Family Reunification Month Steering Committee, jbassett@co.kitsap.wa.us; Spokane County Superior Court Commissioner Michelle Ressa, MRESSA@spokanecounty.org; Office of Public Defense Executive Director Joanne Moore, steering committee member, (360) 586-3164, Joanne.Moore@opd.wa.gov.