Governor Inslee: A new department to better serve children, youth, families

Inslee signs bill to improve services for at-risk children and youth, appoints department’s director
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill Thursday to restructure how the state serves at-risk children and youth by creating the Department of Children, Youth and Families. The governor also appointed Ross Hunter, director of the state’s Department of Early Learning, to lead DCYF.
The new agency, after a yearlong transition period that begins this month, will oversee several services now offered through the state Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Early Learning. These include all programs from the Children’s Administration in DSHS such as Child Protective Services, the Family Assessment Response program and adoption support, as well as all DEL services, including the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program for preschoolers and Working Connections Child Care.
Starting in July 2019, the new department also will administer programs offered by the Juvenile Rehabilitation office and the Office of Juvenile Justice in DSHS. Those programs include juvenile rehabilitation institutions, community facilities and parole services.
The creation of the new department follows the suggestions of the bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission on the Delivery of Services to Children and Families convened by the governor in February 2016 to recommend a state system that focuses more clearly on preventing harm to children and youth. Washington’s Legislature expressed interest in restructuring during the 2016 legislative session, prompting the governor to issue the executive order creating the blue ribbon commission, of which Hunter was a member.
Last month, as lawmakers continued to negotiate a state operating budget, Inslee met with foster parents, youth and advocates to push for the new department. He heard from people who have been in the foster care system who said that a standardization of services and more support for foster families are needed.

Inslee said that the way the government is organized signals what its priorities are. Placing all state children’s services in one agency will amplify attention and resources on improving outcomes, promoting more accountability and heightening the importance of children’s issues.
“We want to prevent harm to children and youth rather than just react to it,” Inslee said. “The vision for this department comes right out of the bill itself: that Washington’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy — thriving physically, emotionally and academically — and are nurtured by family and community.”
Other states have had success with this approach. New Jersey, Wisconsin and Tennessee, for example, have set up departments dedicated solely to serving children and families. These agencies have displayed more accountability and more easily made policy improvements while spotlighting the importance of these services to reach more families in need.
The new law creates an Office of Innovation, Alignment and Accountability in DCYF that will oversee the transition to the new department. It also creates an oversight board for the new department to ensure it meets its goals.-----from the Governor's webpage press release issued July 6th
https://medium.com/wagovernor/a-new-department-to-better-serve-children-youth-families-ebb875185e7b

Washington is 5th state in nation to get paid family leave program

Beginning in 2020, workers can receive up to 12 weeks of family leave and 12 weeks of medical leave
With Gov. Jay Inslee’s signature today, Washington became the fifth state in the U.S. to establish a paid family and medical leave program for workers — and arguably the most forward-thinking one in the nation.
The new law Inslee signed was passed by the Legislature last week with strong bipartisan support and will be in place by 2020.
It creates the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, which will provide everyone in the workforce with up to 12 weeks of paid medical leave, and up to 12 weeks of paid time off to care for a new child or an ailing family member. That leave is capped at 16 weeks if the employee needs both types of time off in a one-year period. Women who experience pregnancy complications may receive an additional two weeks of leave.
Depending on their earnings, employees will receive up to 90 percent of their wage or salary or up to $1,000 per week during their leave. Employees become eligible for the program after working 820 hours.
The new program will give workers more time to spend with their newborns, which research shows has long-term physical, emotional and social benefits for children, better preparing them for school, said paid family leave advocate Marilyn Watkins, policy director of the Economic Opportunity Institute. The program also will give people more time to care for an aging loved one, which is especially important as the state’s older population increases, and give families time to respond to unexpected medical crises.
“We really do expect there to be widespread benefits for everyone in our state,” Watkins said. “It’s portable as people move between jobs. The benefit structure is designed to make sure it’s affordable for people on every income level. … There are ways to help businesses continue to thrive and do well and prosper with this program in place.”
The cost of the new program will be shared between the employer and the employee through a payroll tax. Workers will pay 63 percent and employers will pay 37 percent of the premiums, but the employer could decide to pay more. For example, a full-time worker earning $15 dollars an hour would contribute $1.51 a week toward the benefit while the employer would pay 89 cents.
Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will not be required to pay the employer share of the premium, but those businesses can still opt in. Businesses with fewer than 150 employees who pay into the program are eligible for grants — $1,000 to $3,000 each — to cover the cost of an employee on leave.
According to the Association of Washington Business, chambers of commerce representing businesses from across the state supported the paid family leave bill.----read more of press release issued on July 5th from the Governor's office webpage
https://medium.com/wagovernor/washington-is-5th-state-in-nation-to-get-paid-family-leave-program-40085cc2c532

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