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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Protecting vulnerable children is one of the most serious responsibilities the state has, and it remains one of my top priorities as we move through the 2026 legislative session. Over the past several months, I have been deeply engaged in work involving the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, focused on whether our child welfare system is truly centered on safety, transparency, and accountability.
This work is ongoing, deliberate, and grounded in real cases and real data gaps. As the session begins, I want to share an update on that effort, including a public hearing on legislation I sponsored and continued oversight of DCYF.
Continued focus on child safety and accountability
As you might recall from my last update, I led an effort with more than 20 of my House Republican colleagues to formally request answers from DCYF following a deeply troubling case involving the abandonment of a child on Aurora Avenue in Seattle.
DCYF later responded to that inquiry with a letter outlining how the department interprets current law when determining whether a child is considered safe, including in situations involving homelessness, substance abuse, and high-risk environments. While the department cited legal thresholds and confidentiality requirements, its response raised serious concerns about how safety standards are being applied in practice and whether those standards align with public expectations and common sense.
That response prompted additional, targeted oversight. I followed up with formal requests for information seeking longitudinal data on critical incidents and near-fatalities, including whether the department can track safety plan failures, repeat incidents, or long-term outcomes for children who remain in or are returned to dangerous situations. I also raised these concerns directly with the DCYF Oversight Board, sharing discrepancies between what has been presented as policy and what department leadership has acknowledged during legislative hearings.
At the heart of this work is a simple but urgent question: if the state cannot consistently measure outcomes or reconcile conflicting safety standards, how can we be confident that children are being protected before tragedy occurs?
This effort is not about assigning blame or scoring political points. It is about transparency, accountability, and making sure the child welfare system intervenes when warning signs are clear, not only after irreversible harm has occurred.
Holding DCYF accountable through legislative oversight
That commitment to oversight has carried into my work in committee hearings this session.
During a recent House Early Learning and Human Services Committee hearing, I questioned DCYF leadership about their acknowledgment that the department currently lacks the ability to reliably track safety-plan failures or long-term outcomes for children who remain in, or are returned to, high-risk environments.
While the department has discussed piloting new evidence-based risk assessment tools, it also acknowledged significant limitations in its existing data systems. That raises a fundamental concern: before implementing new tools or changing processes, we should have a clear understanding of whether current safety plans are actually preventing harm. Below is a short clip from that committee exchange, where I pressed for clearer answers and better data so lawmakers can make informed decisions. Please click on the photo below to watch the clip.
House Bill 2200: Turning on the lights for transparency
That same focus on data, accountability, and good governance is what led me to sponsor House Bill 2200, which received a public hearing this week.
It addresses a long-standing oversight imbalance in Washington’s developmental disability system. In state-operated facilities serving fewer than 900 individuals, oversight is rigorous, and outcomes are closely examined. Yet in contracted community settings, where more than 4,500 individuals live, the state lacks consistent, accessible data on safety and stability.
Right now, the state lacks consistent insight into safety outcomes for roughly 85% of the individuals we pay to support through Washington’s disability services system. For many people, that reality feels unconscionable, and it should.
During last year’s policy debates, it became clear that major decisions were being made based on anecdotes rather than reliable, statewide information. HB 2200 addresses this by requiring an apples-to-apples review of safety outcomes across all state-funded residential settings.
The bill directs JLARC to examine four years of data, including 911 calls, emergency room boarding, placement failures, and staff retention rates. It also provides a public dashboard so families, guardians, and policymakers can view this information. When providers are succeeding, we should know why. When systems are failing, we should know that too.
You cannot improve what you cannot measure, and you cannot measure what you cannot see. My bill simply turns on the lights so we can finally see the whole system.
Below is a clip from my testimony at the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee public hearing, where I explain why this transparency is critical to protecting vulnerable individuals and strengthening our continuum of care. Please click on the photo, or here, to watch the clip.
You can also read my recent press release for more information on this bill. Simply click here.
Looking ahead
This work with DCYF and on House Bill 2200 reflects a broader commitment to evidence-based policy, accountability, and prioritizing child safety. I will continue pressing for answers, following the data, and advocating for reforms that prevent harm rather than react to it.
Your voice matters. Stay involved.
Legislative oversight is strongest when the public stays engaged. If child safety, accountability, and transparency in government matter to you, I encourage you to follow this issue and participate in the legislative process.
Stay connected
If you have questions, concerns, or ideas related to child safety, DCYF, or any of the issues discussed in this update, please do not hesitate to contact my office. My contact information is included at the bottom of this email, and I welcome your input.
Thank you for staying engaged and for allowing me to serve you in the Washington State House of Representatives.
Sincerely,
Joshua Penner
