Committee reviews bill directing state research institute to study DCYF screening tools

Senate Bill 6007 would direct the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) to assess the Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ use of screening tools and risk-assessment processes for referrals, and to determine how those tools affect outcomes including family-assessment response, voluntary and mandatory services, out-of-home placements, re-referrals, and near-fatalities.

Committee staff Allison Mendiola said WSIPP is to report preliminary findings to the Legislature and DCYF by Dec. 1, 2026, with a final report due Sept. 1, 2027; the bill is subject to appropriation and a fiscal note had been requested but not yet received.

Julie Watts, deputy director of government affairs for DCYF, said the department supports evaluating its risk-assessment tools but is already partnering with Chapin Hall to evaluate and redesign tools and is piloting the North Carolina family assessment scale (with modifications) in one office as part of a phased roll‑out. Watts cautioned against duplicating efforts and asked how the WSIPP study would differ from the department’s current work.

Committee members probed whether the pilot work with Chapin Hall had produced measurable improvements; Watts said the department is still in pilot testing and has gathered staff and family feedback indicating the tool is easier to use but that statewide rollout has not yet occurred.

The committee closed the SB 6007 hearing after Q&A and returned to other agenda items.

If advanced, the bill would require appropriation for WSIPP’s work and would add a formal, independent review of DCYF screening practices to the Legislature’s oversight record.