Juvenile Justice Administrator Nori told the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 4 that the Keeping Families Together changes enacted in 2023 have reduced the number of children removed from hazardous situations but may have had dangerous unintended consequences. “Between January 2025 in Washington state, 47 children died or nearly died,” Nori said, adding that the count rose to 92 by June.

Why it matters: County juvenile justice and child-protection systems balance removing children from unsafe homes against the harms of family separation. Local officials said they are seeing fewer dependency filings and more children remaining in homes where staff and community members have concerns about safety.

Nori said the state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is increasingly offering voluntary services in lieu of out-of-home placement. He and Director of Court Services staff reported alarming statewide data summarized in an ombudsman report by Patrick Dowd showing that in 2024 roughly 40% of child fatalities involved families already engaged in voluntary services with CPS and 42% involved children with open CPS cases. Nori said accidental fentanyl overdoses accounted for about 25% of the fatalities he described.

County leaders said they were taking the information to regional partners and legislative contacts. Commissioner Clayton said courts and local leaders are reporting similar concerns and that county officials will raise the topic at the Washington Association of Sheriffs and County Officials (WASAC) and other venues. Nori urged closer administrative controls or statutory fixes to give DCYF staff more ability to escalate supervision "until statutes can be changed." He also said some administrative tweaks inside DCYF might be possible.

Local implications: County officials said heightened case management, more frequent welfare checks, and use of family treatment court in appropriate cases are among tools that can reduce risk if removals are not used. Commissioners said they will communicate the county's concerns to legislators and risk-pooling and law-enforcement partners. The meeting did not produce any formal county policy changes; commissioners directed staff to track the issue and share the Dowd report with local and regional stakeholders.

Ending: Nori asked commissioners to consider the data when they meet with state leaders and legislative allies, and to press for changes that improve oversight of families in voluntary services. The board said they would add the topic to its outreach with WASAC and other regional partners.