(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.]