To provide support for youth and families experiencing severe conflict, HB 2870 creates a public system response that merges the ‘At-Risk Youth’ and ‘Child In Need Of Services’ petitions into the ‘Family In Need Of Services (FINS)’ petition.
The FINS response will provide:
•A legal process for families experiencing crisis to request and receive prompt assistance from juvenile courts;
•Assessment, case management, and interventions to preserve, strengthen, and reconcile families experiencing crisis;
•Residential placement and therapeutic support for youth in need of basic assistance;
•Services and interventions for the parent if issues preventsafe reconciliation of the family; and
•Ongoing assessment of program effectiveness
The proposed legislation defines the circumstances and people who can file a ‘Family In Need Of Services petition,' as well as procedural requirements and exceptions. It also repeals previous related RCW.
Companion to SB 6467