The Washington State Center for Court Research (WSCCR) is proud to release Dependent Children in Washington State: Case Timeliness and Outcomes 2018 Annual Report. The report can be viewed online here.
Since 2008, this report has presented both county- and state-level views of cases that involve dependent children in Washington’s courts. This report, covering case events in 2018, focuses on a county-level view of dependency cases. King County Superior Court transitioned to a locally implemented and maintained case management system that impacted the ability to merge their dependency data with other county’s dependency data needed for analyses and state-level results. We anticipate that the 2019 report will see the return of statewide reporting.
The interactive dependency dashboard is also available and is updated monthly and quarterly and can be viewed online here.
Reducing the time that children spend in dependent status and increasing the probability that dependent children will have safe, permanent homes relies on administrators, managers, and line staff in the courts, Children’s Administration, and elsewhere. The current level of availability of relevant data represents a good beginning. It is important to assess the adequacy of data, to plan for improvements, and to recognize the necessity of data for effective policy, effective management, and effective implementation for the benefit of children and families.
If you have questions or suggestions for improvement of this annual report, please let us know. We can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected].
Susan M. Peterson
Court Association Assistant, Administrative Office of the Courts
PO Box 41170
Olympia, WA 98504-1170
(360) 705-5278 / (360) 956-5700 Fax
Email: [email protected]