The secretary shall establish HOPE centers that provide no more than seventy-five beds across the state and may establish HOPE centers by contract, within funds appropriated by the legislature specifically for this purpose. HOPE centers shall be operated in a manner to reasonably assure that street youth placed there will not run away. Street youth may leave a HOPE center during the course of the day to attend school or other necessary appointments, but the street youth must be accompanied by an administrator or an administrator's designee. The street youth must provide the administration with specific information regarding his or her destination and expected time of return to the HOPE center. Any street youth who runs away from a HOPE center shall not be readmitted unless specifically authorized by the street youth's placement and liaison specialist, and the placement and liaison specialist shall document with specific factual findings an appropriate basis for readmitting any street youth to a HOPE center. HOPE centers are required to have the following:

     (1) A license issued by the secretary;

     (2) A professional with a master's degree in counseling, social work, or related field and at least one year of experience working with street youth or a bachelor of arts degree in social work or a related field and five years of experience working with street youth. This professional staff person may be contractual or a part-time employee, but must be available to work with street youth in a HOPE center at a ratio of one to every fifteen youth staying in a HOPE center. This professional shall be known as a placement and liaison specialist. Preference shall be given to those professionals cross-credentialed in mental health and chemical dependency. The placement and liaison specialist shall:

     (a) Conduct an assessment of the street youth that includes a determination of the street youth's legal status regarding residential placement;

     (b) Facilitate the street youth's return to his or her legally authorized residence at the earliest possible date or initiate processes to arrange legally authorized appropriate placement. Any street youth who may meet the definition of dependent child under RCW 13.34.030 must be referred to the department. The department shall determine whether a dependency petition should be filed under chapter 13.34 RCW. A shelter care hearing must be held within seventy-two hours to authorize out-of-home placement for any youth the department determines is appropriate for out-of-home placement under chapter 13.34 RCW. All of the provisions of chapter 13.32A RCW must be followed for children in need of services or at-risk youth;

     (c) Interface with other relevant resources and system representatives to secure long-term residential placement and other needed services for the street youth;

     (d) Be assigned immediately to each youth and meet with the youth within eight hours of the youth receiving HOPE center services;

     (e) Facilitate a physical examination of any street youth who has not seen a physician within one year prior to residence at a HOPE center and facilitate evaluation by a county-designated mental health professional, a chemical dependency specialist, or both if appropriate; and

     (f) Arrange an educational assessment to measure the street youth's competency level in reading, writing, and basic mathematics, and that will measure learning disabilities or special needs;

     (3) Staff trained in development needs of street youth as determined by the secretary, including an administrator who is a professional with a master's degree in counseling, social work, or a related field and at least one year of experience working with street youth, or a bachelor of arts degree in social work or a related field and five years of experience working with street youth, who must work with the placement and liaison specialist to provide appropriate services on site;

     (4) A data collection system that measures outcomes for the population served, and enables research and evaluation that can be used for future program development and service delivery. Data collection systems must have confidentiality rules and protocols developed by the secretary;

     (5) Notification requirements that meet the notification requirements of chapter 13.32A RCW. The youth's arrival date and time must be logged at intake by HOPE center staff. The staff must immediately notify law enforcement and dependency caseworkers if a street youth runs away from a HOPE center. A child may be transferred to a secure facility as defined in RCW 13.32A.030 whenever the staff reasonably believes that a street youth is likely to leave the HOPE center and not return after full consideration of the factors set forth in RCW 13.32A.130(2)(a) (i) and (ii). The street youth's temporary placement in the HOPE center must be authorized by the court or the secretary if the youth is a dependent of the state under chapter 13.34 RCW or the department is responsible for the youth under chapter 13.32A RCW, or by the youth's parent or legal custodian, until such time as the parent can retrieve the youth who is returning to home;

     (6) HOPE centers must identify to the department any street youth it serves who is not returning promptly to home. The department then must contact the missing children's clearinghouse identified in chapter 13.60 RCW and either report the youth's location or report that the youth is the subject of a dependency action and the parent should receive notice from the department;

     (7) Services that provide counseling and education to the street youth; and

     (8) The department shall award contracts for the operation of HOPE center beds and responsible living skills programs with the goal of facilitating the coordination of services provided for youth by such programs and those services provided by secure and semi-secure crisis residential centers.

[2011 c 240 § 2; 1999 c 267 § 12.]

NOTES:

     Phase in of beds -- 1999 c 267 §§ 12 and 13: "Within funds specifically appropriated by the legislature, HOPE center beds referenced in section 12 of this act and responsible living skills program beds referenced in section 13 of this act shall be phased in at the rate of twenty-five percent each year beginning January 1, 2000, until the maximum is attained." [1999 c 267 § 26.]

     Effective date -- 1999 c 267 §§ 12 and 13: "Sections 12 and 13 of this act take effect January 1, 2000." [1999 c 267 § 27.]

     Findings -- Intent -- Severability -- 1999 c 267: See notes following RCW 43.20A.790.