AOC report outlines measures for relational permanency and urges renewed DCYF‑AOC data sharing

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), working with an external contractor, presented highlights of a report required under Senate Bill 6068 that sought to define and measure relational permanency and child well‑being among children involved in dependency proceedings. AOC manager Kelli Warner King and subcontractor Sarah Kaye summarized the team’s approach of combining literature review, engagement with more than 80 professional and 32 lived‑experience experts, and an inventory of existing state data.

The report identified 15 conceptual dimensions of relational permanency and well‑being (for example, maintaining pre‑existing relationships, youth voice and participation, and family stability). The team found three dimensions already matched by existing Washington administrative data and seven others that could be aligned with moderate effort; five dimensions lacked systematic data and would require development. The contractors recommended a phased approach: publish immediate “quick wins” where data exist, while developing new collection methods for more complex domains, especially the direct perspectives of youth and parents.

A central recommendation was to reestablish a data‑sharing agreement between DCYF and AOC. AOC staff said a prior dependency timeliness report that combined court and DCYF data was a valuable tool for monitoring disparities and system performance but that the existing data link expired in June 2025 and the dependency court reporting system is not being updated. AOC asked the committee to support restoration of the data share and the creation of a cross‑agency workgroup to govern data sharing, co‑design survey instruments with lived experts to capture youth and parent perspectives, and use data for community‑engaged interpretation and action planning.

The report team offered October 13 (date in slides) as an opportunity for a deeper briefing and emphasized the need to integrate this measurement work with DCYF’s upcoming CCWIS (Child Welfare Information System) modernization and other reporting obligations. Principal researcher Irina Gertseva of the Washington State Center for Court Research noted that data exist at multiple levels—individual, court/program, system and policy—but that a connected interagency ecosystem is required to see the full picture of a child or family’s journey.

Less critical details: AOC representatives said modest funding (0.5 FTE and small budget for lived‑expert participation and county small grants) would support implementation and outreach.