Parents will no longer have to pay child support if their child is put into foster care, the Washington state Department of Children, Youth & Families announced Thursday.
The change to the “outdated and harmful practice” went into effect Sept. 1, according to a press release sent out by the agency. DCYF noted that Washington is one of the first states in the country to end the practice.
“We know that most parents are already facing financial hardships when they come into contact with the child welfare system,” said Ross Hunter, secretary for DCYF, in a news release. “This old and misguided policy only deepened that hardship and made it harder for parents to get their kids home.”
According to a study cited by the agency, requiring parents to pay child support while their child is in foster care increases the amount of time the child will remain there.
Additionally, the Department of Social and Health Services completed cost-effectiveness research and found that the change will save Washington state money in the long run, as the state only collected about 39 cents for each dollar they attempted to collect.
Previously, parents were referred to the DSHS Division of Child Support for collection after their child was put into foster care. DCYF would then use that money to reimburse itself for costs associated with the child.
DCYF said that removing child support costs for families is part of their Strategic and Racial Equity Plan “to eliminate racial disproportionalities and advance racial equity, safely reduce the number of children in out-of-home care, and improve the quality and intention of our practice.”
