WA SB5866

Department of Children, Youth, and Families must increase child protective services staff providing direct services by 100 full-time equivalents by the end of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium

New positions include social workers and related staff who receive, refer, and respond to screened-in reports of child abuse or neglect

Staffing increase must be accomplished within existing resources by reducing positions in the department's program support appropriation

Legislature cites a child welfare workload study finding that child protective services is understaffed while program support is overstaffed by more than 100 full-time equivalents