A Separate Children’s Department in Washington State

The proposal of a separate children’s department in Washington State has been introduced legislatively and studied extensively. The state’s Joint Task Force on Administration and Delivery of Services to Children and Families issued a majority report in 2007 recommending a separate children’s department as the best way to serve the citizens of Washington State. A separate children’s department has the potential to promote greater accountability, heighten the visibility of children’s issues, reduce barriers to improving practice, and advance children’s priorities through an independent budget and direct access to the state executive.