Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
County juvenile justice officials warn new child-welfare rules tied to drop in removals and rising severe outcomes
Summary
Juvenile Justice staff told the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners that Washington’s Keeping Families Together changes have coincided locally with fewer child-dependency actions but troubling statewide numbers of child deaths or near-deaths reported to child protective services.
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…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
