26.44.240 - Out-of-home care -- Emergency placement--Criminal history record check. - Washington Statutes

Out-of-home care — Emergency placement — Criminal history record check.

(1) During an emergency situation when a child must be placed in out-of-home care due to the absence of appropriate parents or custodians, the department shall request a federal name-based criminal history record check of each adult residing in the home of the potential placement resource. Upon receipt of the results of the name-based check, the department shall provide a complete set of each adult resident's fingerprints to the Washington state patrol for submission to the federal bureau of investigation within fourteen calendar days from the date the name search was conducted. The child shall be removed from the home immediately if any adult resident fails to provide fingerprints and written permission to perform a federal criminal history record check when requested.

     (2) When placement of a child in a home is denied as a result of a name-based criminal history record check of a resident, and the resident contests that denial, the resident shall, within fifteen calendar days, submit to the department a complete set of the resident's fingerprints with written permission allowing the department to forward the fingerprints to the Washington state patrol for submission to the federal bureau of investigation.

     (3) The Washington state patrol and the federal bureau of investigation may each charge a reasonable fee for processing a fingerprint-based criminal history record check.

     (4) As used in this section, "emergency placement" refers to those limited instances when the department is placing a child in the home of private individuals, including neighbors, friends, or relatives, as a result of a sudden unavailability of the child's primary caretaker.

[2008 c 232 § 2.]

Notes: Finding -- 2008 c 232: "The legislature finds that the safety of children in foster care depends upon receipt of comprehensive, accurate, and timely information about the background of prospective foster parents. It is vital to ensure that all relevant information about prospective foster parents is received and carefully reviewed. The legislature believes that some foster parents may have previously resided in other countries and that it is important to determine whether those countries have background information on the prospective foster parents that might impact the safety of children in their care." [2008 c 232 § 1.]