Keynote Speech at Children's Justice Conference (As Written)

May 1, 2006

Governor Gregoire: The needs of children and families have been a priority for me throughout my career, and that�s why I�m delighted that Washington hosts one of the largest multi-disciplinary conferences in the United States related to child welfare issues.

As many of you know, I began my career as a child welfare case-services manager for the Department of Social and Health Services.

And as an Assistant Attorney General, I represented the Children�s Administration.

I specifically recall the case of a severely abused little girl. I was a young assistant AG, and I worked to place that abused child in a loving foster home�and ensure that her abusive dad was sent off to Monroe. Like so many of you, that was my last point of contact, with procedure dictating that other providers in our child-welfare system monitor and care for her.

Years later, I received a note from the foster mother who adopted that little girl. She wanted to thank me for helping rescue her daughter, and she had wonderful news to report: That once vulnerable and abused child was now a student at Eastern Washington University�studying social work. What a gift that was.

Evidenced by the over 1,500 people gathered here today, our commitment to strengthening and serving children and their families is very, very strong � but we all know there�s much more to be done.

We need to ask ourselves the tough questions�if we consider Washington a progressive, compassionate state, are we really doing everything in our power to ensure the best for our children? What does it say about Washington that 100,000 children are without health insurance? How can children learn and thrive if they�re not healthy? If we really care, and I believe we do, why not invest more in early childhood education and get it right the first time?

Our shared goal for Washington is to improve our services for children by ensuring their safety, promoting permanent placements for kids, and supporting the well-being of the entire family.

You and I know that immediate and regular face time with children will help us achieve these goals.

It�s why, at my second press conference as Governor, I announced my support for our department�s proposal to speed up investigative response times to referrals of possible child abuse�and to increase the frequency for visits to dependent children from ninety days to thirty days.

Time matters. Waiting ten days to investigate a case of abuse is shameful. Children heal and evidence vanishes. Delay service and children die.

This is why I pushed hard in both 2005 and 2006 for funding to implement these changes, to allow more caseworkers to be hired in order to meet our higher standards, and to increase the safety of our kids.

Each of you, whether a social worker, law enforcement officer, judge, foster parent, volunteer, or community-service provider, play a critical role in supporting vulnerable children and families while improving our child-welfare system.

The new investigative response times have largely been met, and we are continuing work to reach our goal of 30-day visit cycles. I know it hasn�t been easy to make these improvements because of tight budgets, but I am grateful for your efforts and for those of our law-enforcement partners, the courts, and the community�all dedicated to the safety of Washington�s families.

There have been other recent improvements to the system:

The Legislature passed a methamphetamine bill this session to combat production and to increase community coordination. Progress in this area will reduce the number of children at risk of entering the child-welfare system.

Each Division of Child and Family Services is now able to access an education staffer to strengthen their link with schools and improve educational outcomes for dependent children.

Although we have taken some majors steps forward, this is only the beginning. I will continue to seek additional support to reduce caseloads and to finish development of a new information system that will improve access to data and reduce the amount of time spent on paperwork.

I also support the department's efforts to develop a new state-of-the-art "Practice Model" for Washington, and to learn from best practices for child-welfare services.

There are obviously many other areas that need attention�and I am committed to continuing with aggressive reform efforts until we get it right. I hope you will join me.

I�ve followed closely your reform-planning efforts. The level of commitment shown by all those working to improve our system is impressive. I believe the children of Washington are well served by your dedication.

I hope you will use this conference as an opportunity to get to know and learn from others who are just as passionate and dedicated as you are. With a cause as serious as the safety and well-being of our children, we cannot afford to close ourselves off from new ideas.

The safety and well being of children depend on the commitment of professionals and community members like all of you. We all have more to learn about what works to improve the lives of Washington�s families and children.

On behalf of all the citizens of our state, thank you for your commitment and your passion.

Thank you.


###