The legislature intends that the services provided across the child welfare and juvenile justice systems for the target population consisting of dually involved females should be research-based and data-driven in order to identify effective prevention strategies, best practices for intervention, and system improvements. The legislature acknowledges that baseline information on the target population of dually involved females is not presently available. There is a need for gender-specific data collection across Washington’s child welfare, juvenile justice, and education systems. There is also a need for data examination identifying potential best practices and system changes leading to improved outcomes for dually involved females. This bill directs the Washington state institute for public policy, in consultation with the Washington state supreme court gender and justice commission, to conduct a statewide study on the needs of dually involved females.
