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.

DCYF has now completed a Draft Implementation Plan explaining how it plans to meet the Settlement Agreement’s requirements.  The community is invited to share feedback, questions, and comments on the Draft Implementation Plan with DCYF by July 3, 2023, by emailing dcyf.dssettlementfeedback@dcyf.wa.gov.  DCYF will consider comments received by July 3, 2023, in developing the final Implementation Plan.  Comments sent after July 3, 2023, will be shared with DCYF program staff.  For more information from DCYF, visit their D.S. Settlement Website.

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.

 

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