D.S. v. DCYF

In the D.S. v. DCYF lawsuit, Disability Rights Washington and three young people in foster care alleged that the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has been failing to properly serve children with behavioral health and developmental disabilities, “essentially rendering them homeless for extended periods of time” and forcing youth to end up in institutions and facilities that further separate them from their families and communities.

The D.S. Settlement Agreement, which was approved by the Court in September 2022, requires DCYF to implement new statewide models for supporting youth in foster care and their families and to collaborate in additional ways with youth, families, and stakeholders to improve its policies and practices. Eight System Improvements are identified in the Settlement Agreement including the Emerging Adulthood Housing Program, Professional Therapeutic Foster Care, Statewide Hub Home Model Program, Kinship Engagement Unit, Qualified Residential Treatment programs, Family Group Planning, Reviewing Licensing Standards, and Referrals and Transitions.

DCYF has now completed the Implementation Plan explaining how it plans to meet the Settlement Agreement’s requirements. The community were invited to share feedback in July 2023.

Now, the community is invited to share feedback on the Draft Data Addendum the second part to the Implementation plan. This addresses the final exit criteria DCYF needs to meet for each system improvement including benchmarks and capacity needs for each program.

The community is invited to share feedback, questions, and comments on the Draft Addendum with DCYF by January 19, 2024, by emailing dcyf.dssettlement@dcyf.wa.gov.

If you would like to contact Disability Rights Washington and the Plaintiffs’ attorneys, you can email us at DSSettlement@dr-wa.org or call Disability Rights Washington at 1-800-562-2702.

 

Case Documents	Draft Data Addendum – December 2023 Implementation Plan – May 2023 Plaintiffs’ Unopposed Motion for Order Approving Attorneys’ Fees and Costs Following Mediation – August 5, 2022 Notice of Final Settlement – June 27, 2022 Settlement Agreement – Filed June 6, 2022 Class Action Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief – Filed Jan 29, 2021 Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunctive Relief – Filed April 12, 2021 Minute Entry Setting – Filed June 7, 2021 Order Granting in Part Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction – Filed June 29, 2021 Stipulation and Order Regarding Definition of Class Action and Amendment to Scheduling Order – Filed September 22, 2021
Other Documents	One Pager for Youth DCYF Exceptional Placement Plan – Dated September 1, 2021 Exceptional Placements in Hotels FAQ Q&A for Child Welfare Advocacy Stakeholders
Press Releases	June 6, 2022 Release January 29, 2021 Release June 29, 2021 Release
Media Coverage	January 29, 2021 King 5 – Washington state accused of widespread failure to house foster children AP News – Lawsuit: Washington’s shuttling of foster kids fails them August 4, 2021 InvestigateWest – Can A Court Victory Provide Refuge For Foster Youth? September 2, 2021 King 5 – Washington foster care agency to launch new housing option for hard-to-place teens June 9, 2022 Seattle Times – Settlement in foster youth hotel stays suit commits WA child welfare program to think ‘outside the box’