RCW 13.38.010
Short title.
This chapter shall be known and cited as the "Washington state Indian child welfare act."
[
2011 c 309 s 1
.]
RCW 13.38.020
Application.
This chapter shall apply in all child custody proceedings as that term is defined in this chapter. Whenever there is a conflict between chapter
13.32A
, 13.34, 13.36, *26.10, or
26.33
RCW, the provisions of this chapter shall apply.
[
2011 c 309 s 2
.]
NOTES:
*Reviser's note:
Chapter
26.10
RCW, with the exception of RCW 26.10.115, was repealed by
2020 c 312 s 905
. RCW 26.10.115
was repealed by 2021 c 215 s 170, effective July 1, 2022.
RCW 13.38.030
Findings and intent.
The legislature finds that the state is committed to protecting the essential tribal relations and best interests of Indian children by promoting practices designed to prevent out-of-home placement of Indian children that is inconsistent with the rights of the parents, the health, safety, or welfare of the children, or the interests of their tribe. Whenever out-of-home placement of an Indian child is necessary in a proceeding subject to the terms of the federal Indian child welfare act and in this chapter, the best interests of the Indian child may be served by placing the Indian child in accordance with the placement priorities expressed in this chapter. The legislature further finds that where placement away from the parent or Indian custodian is necessary for the child's safety, the state is committed to a placement that reflects and honors the unique values of the child's tribal culture and is best able to assist the Indian child in establishing, developing, and maintaining a political, cultural, social, and spiritual relationship with the child's tribe and tribal community.
It is the intent of the legislature that this chapter is a step in clarifying existing laws and codifying existing policies and practices. This chapter shall not be construed to reject or eliminate current policies and practices that are not included in its provisions.
The legislature further intends that nothing in this chapter is intended to interfere with policies and procedures that are derived from agreements entered into between the department and a tribe or tribes, as authorized by section 109 of the federal Indian child welfare act. The legislature finds that this chapter specifies the minimum requirements that must be applied in a child custody proceeding and does not prevent the department from providing a higher standard of protection to the right of any Indian child, parent, Indian custodian, or Indian child's tribe.
It is also the legislature's intent that the department's policy manual on Indian child welfare, the tribal-state agreement, and relevant local agreements between individual federally recognized tribes and the department should serve as persuasive guides in the interpretation and implementation of the federal Indian child welfare act, this chapter, and other relevant state laws.
[
2011 c 309 s 3
.]
RCW 13.38.040
Definitions.
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Active efforts" means the following:
(a) In any foster care placement or termination of parental rights proceeding of an Indian child under chapter
13.34
RCW and this chapter where the department or a supervising agency as defined in *RCW 74.13.020
has a statutory or contractual duty to provide services to, or procure services for, the parent or parents or Indian custodian, or is providing services to a parent or parents or Indian custodian pursuant to a disposition order entered pursuant to RCW 13.34.130, the department or supervising agency shall make timely and diligent efforts to provide or procure such services, including engaging the parent or parents or Indian custodian in reasonably available and culturally appropriate preventive, remedial, or rehabilitative services. This shall include those services offered by tribes and Indian organizations whenever possible. At a minimum "active efforts" shall include:
(i) In any dependency proceeding under chapter
13.34
RCW seeking out-of-home placement of an Indian child in which the department or supervising agency provided voluntary services to the parent, parents, or Indian custodian prior to filing the dependency petition, a showing to the court that the department or supervising agency social workers actively worked with the parent, parents, or Indian custodian to engage them in remedial services and rehabilitation programs to prevent the breakup of the family beyond simply providing referrals to such services.
(ii) In any dependency proceeding under chapter
13.34
RCW, in which the petitioner is seeking the continued out-of-home placement of an Indian child, the department or supervising agency must show to the court that it has actively worked with the parent, parents, or Indian custodian in accordance with existing court orders and the individual service plan to engage them in remedial services and rehabilitative programs to prevent the breakup of the family beyond simply providing referrals to such services.
(iii) In any termination of parental rights proceeding regarding an Indian child under chapter
13.34
RCW in which the department or supervising agency provided services to the parent, parents, or Indian custodian, a showing to the court that the department or supervising agency social workers actively worked with the parent, parents, or Indian custodian to engage them in remedial services and rehabilitation programs ordered by the court or identified in the department or supervising agency's individual service and safety plan beyond simply providing referrals to such services.
(b) In any foster care placement or termination of parental rights proceeding in which the petitioner does not otherwise have a statutory or contractual duty to directly provide services to, or procure services for, the parent or Indian custodian, "active efforts" means a documented, concerted, and good faith effort to facilitate the parent's or Indian custodian's receipt of and engagement in services capable of meeting the criteria set out in (a) of this subsection.
(2) "Best interests of the Indian child" means the use of practices in accordance with the federal Indian child welfare act, this chapter, and other applicable law, that are designed to accomplish the following: (a) Protect the safety, well-being, development, and stability of the Indian child; (b) prevent the unnecessary out-of-home placement of the Indian child; (c) acknowledge the right of Indian tribes to maintain their existence and integrity which will promote the stability and security of their children and families; (d) recognize the value to the Indian child of establishing, developing, or maintaining a political, cultural, social, and spiritual relationship with the Indian child's tribe and tribal community; and (e) in a proceeding under this chapter where out-of-home placement is necessary, to prioritize placement of the Indian child in accordance with the placement preferences of this chapter.
(3) "Child custody proceeding" includes:
(a) "Foster care placement" which means any action removing an Indian child from his or her parent or Indian custodian for temporary placement in a foster home, institution, or with a relative, guardian, conservator, or suitable other person where the parent or Indian custodian cannot have the child returned upon demand, but where parental rights have not been terminated;
(b) "Termination of parental rights" which means any action resulting in the termination of the parent-child relationship;
(c) "Preadoptive placement" which means the temporary placement of an Indian child in a foster home or institution after the termination of parental rights but before or in lieu of adoptive placement; and
(d) "Adoptive placement" which means the permanent placement of an Indian child for adoption, including any action resulting in a final decree of adoption.
These terms shall not include a placement based upon an act which, if committed by an adult, would be deemed a crime or upon an award, in a dissolution proceeding of custody to one of the parents.
(4) "Court of competent jurisdiction" means a federal court, or a state court that entered an order in a child custody proceeding involving an Indian child, as long as the state court had proper subject matter jurisdiction in accordance with this chapter and the laws of that state, or a tribal court that had or has exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction pursuant to 25 U.S.C. Sec. 1911.
(5) "Department" means the department of children, youth, and families and any of its divisions. "Department" also includes supervising agencies as defined in *RCW 74.13.020
with which the department entered into a contract to provide services, care, placement, case management, contract monitoring, or supervision to children subject to a petition filed under chapter
13.34
or
26.33
RCW.
(6) "Indian" means a person who is a member of an Indian tribe, or who is an Alaska native and a member of a regional corporation as defined in 43 U.S.C. Sec. 1606.
(7) "Indian child" means an unmarried and unemancipated Indian person who is under eighteen years of age and is either: (a) A member of an Indian tribe; or (b) eligible for membership in an Indian tribe and is the biological child of a member of an Indian tribe.
(8) "Indian child's family" or "extended family member" means an individual, defined by the law or custom of the child's tribe, as a relative of the child. If the child's tribe does not identify such individuals by law or custom, the term means an adult who is the Indian child's grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, first or second cousin, or stepparent, even following termination of the marriage.
(9) "Indian child's tribe" means a tribe in which an Indian child is a member or eligible for membership.
(10) "Indian custodian" means an Indian person who under tribal law, tribal custom, or state law has legal or temporary physical custody of an Indian child, or to whom the parent has transferred temporary care, physical custody, and control of an Indian child.
(11) "Indian tribe" or "tribe" means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians recognized as eligible for the services provided to Indians by the secretary of the interior because of their status as Indians, including any Alaska native village as defined in 43 U.S.C. Sec. 1602(c).
(12) "Member" and "membership" means a determination by an Indian tribe that a person is a member or eligible for membership in that Indian tribe.
(13) "Parent" means a biological parent or parents of an Indian child or a person who has lawfully adopted an Indian child, including adoptions made under tribal law or custom. "Parent" does not include a person whose parentage has not been acknowledged or established under chapter
26.26A
RCW or the applicable laws of other states.
(14) "Secretary of the interior" means the secretary of the United States department of the interior.
(15) "Tribal court" means a court or body vested by an Indian tribe with jurisdiction over child custody proceedings, including but not limited to a federal court of Indian offenses, a court established and operated under the code or custom of an Indian tribe, or an administrative body of an Indian tribe vested with authority over child custody proceedings.
(16) "Tribal customary adoption" means adoption or other process through the tribal custom, traditions, or laws of an Indian child's tribe by which the Indian child is permanently placed with a nonparent and through which the nonparent is vested with the rights, privileges, and obligations of a legal parent. Termination of the parent-child relationship between the Indian child and the biological parent is not required to effect or recognize a tribal customary adoption.
[
2019 c 46 s 5018
;
2017 3rd sp.s. c 6 s 311
;
2011 c 309 s 4
.]
NOTES:
*Reviser's note:
RCW 74.13.020
was amended by 2018 c 284 s 36, deleting the definition of "supervising agency."
Effective date
—
2017 3rd sp.s. c 6 ss 102, 104-115, 201-227, 301-337, 401-419, 501-513, 801-803, and 805-822:
See note following RCW 43.216.025
.
Conflict with federal requirements
—
2017 3rd sp.s. c 6:
See RCW 43.216.908
.
RCW 13.38.050
Determination of Indian status.
Any party seeking the foster care placement of, termination of parental rights over, or the adoption of a child must make a good faith effort to determine whether the child is an Indian child. This shall be done by consultation with the child's parent or parents, any person who has custody of the child or with whom the child resides, and any other person that reasonably can be expected to have information regarding the child's possible membership or eligibility for membership in an Indian tribe to determine if the child is an Indian child, and by contacting any Indian tribe in which the child may be a member or may be eligible for membership. Preliminary contacts for the purpose of making a good faith effort to determine a child's possible Indian status , do not constitute legal notice as required by RCW 13.38.070
.
[
2011 c 309 s 5
.]
RCW 13.38.060
Jurisdiction.
(1) An Indian tribe shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any child custody proceeding involving an Indian child who resides or is domiciled within the reservation of that tribe, unless the tribe has consented to the state's concurrent jurisdiction, the tribe has expressly declined to exercise its exclusive jurisdiction, or the state is exercising emergency jurisdiction in strict compliance with RCW 13.38.140
.
(2) If an Indian child is already a ward of a tribal court at the start of the child custody proceeding, the Indian tribe may retain exclusive jurisdiction, notwithstanding the residence or domicile of the child.
[
2011 c 309 s 6
.]
RCW 13.38.070
Notice
—
Procedures
—
Determination of Indian status.
(1) In any involuntary child custody proceeding seeking the foster care placement of, or the termination of parental rights to, a child in which the petitioning party or the court knows, or has reason to know, that the child is or may be an Indian child as defined in this chapter, the petitioning party shall notify the parent or Indian custodian and the Indian child's tribe or tribes, by certified mail, return receipt requested, and by use of a mandatory Indian child welfare act notice addressed to the tribal agent designated by the Indian child's tribe or tribes for receipt of Indian child welfare act notice, as published by the bureau of Indian affairs in the federal register. If the identity or location of the parent or Indian custodian and the tribe cannot be determined, such notice shall be given to the secretary of the interior by registered mail, return receipt requested, in accordance with the regulations of the bureau of Indian affairs. The secretary of the interior has fifteen days after receipt to provide the requisite notice to the parent or Indian custodian and the tribe. No foster care placement or termination of parental rights proceeding shall be held until at least ten days after receipt of notice by the parent or Indian custodian and the tribe. The parent or Indian custodian or the tribe shall, upon request, be granted up to twenty additional days to prepare for the proceeding.
(2) The determination of the Indian status of a child shall be made as soon as practicable in order to serve the best interests of the Indian child and protect the interests of the child's tribe.
(3)(a) A written determination by an Indian tribe that a child is a member of or eligible for membership in that tribe, or testimony by the tribe attesting to such status shall be conclusive that the child is an Indian child;
(b) A written determination by an Indian tribe that a child is not a member of or eligible for membership in that tribe, or testimony by the tribe attesting to such status shall be conclusive that the child is not a member or eligible for membership in that tribe. Such determinations are presumptively those of the tribe where submitted in the form of a tribal resolution, or signed by or testified to by the person(s) authorized by the tribe's governing body to speak for the tribe, or by the tribe's agent designated to receive notice under the federal Indian child welfare act where such designation is published in the federal register;
(c) Where a tribe provides no response to notice under RCW 13.38.070, such nonresponse shall not constitute evidence that the child is not a member or eligible for membership. Provided, however, that under such circumstances the party asserting application of the federal Indian child welfare act, or this chapter, will have the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the child is an Indian child.
(4)(a) Where a child has been determined not to be an Indian child, any party to the proceeding, or an Indian tribe that subsequently determines the child is a member, may, during the pendency of any child custody proceeding to which this chapter or the federal Indian child welfare act applies, move the court for redetermination of the child's Indian status based upon new evidence, redetermination by the child's tribe, or newly conferred federal recognition of the tribe.
(b) This subsection (4) does not affect the rights afforded under 25 U.S.C. Sec. 1914.
[
2017 c 269 s 1
;
2011 c 309 s 7
.]
RCW 13.38.080
Transfer of jurisdiction.
(1) In any proceeding for the foster care placement of, or termination of parental rights to, an Indian child who is not domiciled or residing within the reservation of the Indian child's tribe, the court shall, in the absence of good cause to the contrary, transfer the proceeding to the jurisdiction of the Indian child's tribe, upon the motion of any of the following persons:
(a) Either of the child's parents;
(b) The child's Indian custodian;
(c) The child's tribe; or
(d) The child, if age twelve or older.
The transfer shall be subject to declination by the tribe. The tribe shall have seventy-five days to affirmatively respond to a motion or order transferring jurisdiction to the tribal court. A failure of the tribe to respond within the seventy-five day period shall be construed as a declination to accept transfer of the case.
(2) If the child's tribe has not formally intervened, the moving party shall serve a copy of the motion and all supporting documents on the tribal court to which the moving party seeks transfer.
(3) If either of the Indian child's parents objects to transfer of the proceeding to the Indian child's tribe, the court shall not transfer the proceeding.
(4) Following entry of an order transferring jurisdiction to the Indian child's tribe:
(a) Upon receipt of an order from a tribal court accepting jurisdiction, the state court shall dismiss the child custody proceeding without prejudice.
(b) Pending receipt of such tribal court order, the state court may conduct additional hearings and enter orders which strictly comply with the requirements of the federal Indian child welfare act and this chapter. The state court shall not enter a final order in any child custody proceeding, except an order dismissing the proceeding and returning the Indian child to the care of the parent or Indian custodian from whose care the child was removed, while awaiting receipt of a tribal court order accepting jurisdiction, or in the absence of a tribal court order or other formal written declination of jurisdiction.
(c) If the Indian child's tribe declines jurisdiction, the state court shall enter an order vacating the order transferring jurisdiction and proceed with adjudication of the child custody matter in strict compliance with the federal Indian child welfare act, this chapter, and any applicable tribal-state agreement.
[
2011 c 309 s 8
.]
RCW 13.38.090
Right to intervene.
The Indian child, the Indian child's tribe or tribes, and the Indian custodian have the right to intervene at any point in any child custody proceeding involving the Indian child.
[
2011 c 309 s 9
.]
RCW 13.38.100
Full faith and credit.
The state shall give full faith and credit to the public acts, records, judicial proceedings, and judgments of any Indian tribe applicable to Indian child custody proceedings.
[
2011 c 309 s 10
.]
RCW 13.38.110
Right to counsel.
In any child custody proceeding under this chapter in which the court determines the Indian child's parent or Indian custodian is indigent, the parent or Indian custodian shall have the right to court-appointed counsel. The court may, in its discretion, appoint counsel for the Indian child upon a finding that the appointment is in the best interests of the Indian child.
[
2011 c 309 s 11
.]
RCW 13.38.120
Right to examine reports, other documents.
Each party to a child custody proceeding involving an Indian child shall have the right to examine all reports or other documents filed with the court upon which any decision with respect to the proceeding may be based.
[
2011 c 309 s 12
.]
RCW 13.38.130
Involuntary foster care placement, termination of parental rights
—
Determination
—
Qualified expert witness.
(1) A party seeking to effect an involuntary foster care placement of or the involuntary termination of parental rights to an Indian child shall satisfy the court that active efforts have been made to provide remedial services and rehabilitative programs designed to prevent the breakup of the Indian family and that these efforts have proved unsuccessful.
(2) No involuntary foster care placement may be ordered in a child custody proceeding in the absence of a determination, supported by clear and convincing evidence, including testimony of qualified expert witnesses, that the continued custody of the child by the parent or Indian custodian is likely to result in serious emotional or physical damage to the child. For purposes of this subsection, any harm that may result from interfering with the bond or attachment between the foster parent and the child shall not be the sole basis or primary reason for continuing the child in foster care.
(3) No involuntary termination of parental rights may be ordered in a child custody proceeding in the absence of a determination, supported by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, including testimony of qualified expert witnesses, that the continued custody of the child by the parent or Indian custodian is likely to result in serious emotional or physical damage to the child. For the purposes of this subsection, any harm that may result from interfering with the bond or attachment that may have formed between the child and a foster care provider shall not be the sole basis or primary reason for termination of parental rights over an Indian child.
(4)(a) For purposes of this section, "qualified expert witness" means a person who provides testimony in a proceeding under this chapter to assist a court in the determination of whether the continued custody of the child by, or return of the child to, the parent, parents, or Indian custodian, is likely to result in serious emotional or physical damage to the child. In any proceeding in which the child's Indian tribe has intervened pursuant to RCW 13.38.090
or, if the department is the petitioner and the Indian child's tribe has entered into a local agreement with the department for the provision of child welfare services, the petitioner shall contact the tribe and ask the tribe to identify a tribal member or other person of the tribe's choice who is recognized by the tribe as knowledgeable regarding tribal customs as they pertain to family organization or child rearing practices. The petitioner shall notify the child's Indian tribe of the need to provide a "qualified expert witness" at least twenty days prior to any evidentiary hearing in which the testimony of the witness will be required. If the child's Indian tribe does not identify a "qualified expert witness" for the proceeding on a timely basis, the petitioner may proceed to identify such a witness pursuant to (b) of this subsection.
(b) In any proceeding in which the child's Indian tribe has not intervened or entered into a local agreement with the department for the provision of child welfare services, or a child's Indian tribe has not responded to a request to identify a "qualified expert witness" for the proceeding on a timely basis, the petitioner shall provide a "qualified expert witness" who meets one or more of the following requirements in descending order of preference:
(i) A member of the child's Indian tribe or other person of the tribe's choice who is recognized by the tribe as knowledgeable regarding tribal customs as they pertain to family organization or child rearing practices for this purpose;
(ii) Any person having substantial experience in the delivery of child and family services to Indians, and extensive knowledge of prevailing social and cultural standards and child rearing practices within the Indian child's tribe;
(iii) Any person having substantial experience in the delivery of child and family services to Indians, and knowledge of prevailing social and cultural standards and child rearing practices in Indian tribes with cultural similarities to the Indian child's tribe; or
(iv) A professional person having substantial education and experience in the area of his or her specialty.
(c) When the petitioner is the department or a supervising agency, the currently assigned department or agency caseworker or the caseworker's supervisor may not testify as a "qualified expert witness" for purposes of this section. Nothing in this section shall bar the assigned department or agency caseworker or the caseworker's supervisor from testifying as an expert witness for other purposes in a proceeding under this chapter. Nothing in this section shall bar other department or supervising agency employees with appropriate expert qualifications or experience from testifying as a "qualified expert witness" in a proceeding under this chapter. Nothing in this section shall bar the petitioner or any other party in a proceeding under this chapter from providing additional witnesses or expert testimony, subject to the approval of the court, on any issue before the court including the determination of whether the continued custody of the child by, or return of the child to, the parent, parents, or Indian custodian, is likely to result in serious emotional or physical damage to the child.
[
2011 c 309 s 13
.]
RCW 13.38.140
Emergency removal or placement of Indian child
—
Notice.
(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of federal or state law, nothing shall be construed to prevent the department or law enforcement from the emergency removal of an Indian child who is a resident of or is domiciled on an Indian reservation, but is temporarily located off the reservation, from his or her parent or Indian custodian or the emergency placement of such child in a foster home, under applicable state law, to prevent imminent physical damage or harm to the child.
(2) The department or law enforcement agency shall ensure that the emergency removal or placement terminates immediately when such removal or placement is no longer necessary to prevent imminent physical damage or harm to the child and shall expeditiously initiate a child custody proceeding subject to the provisions of the federal Indian child welfare act and this chapter to transfer the child to the jurisdiction of the appropriate Indian tribe or restore the child to the child's parent or Indian custodian, if appropriate.
(3) When the nature of the emergency allows, the department must notify the child's tribe before the removal has occurred. If prior notification is not possible, the department shall notify the child's tribe by the quickest means possible. The notice must contain the basis for the Indian child's removal, the time, date, and place of the initial hearing, and the tribe's right to intervene and participate in the proceeding. This notice shall not constitute the notice required under RCW 13.38.070
for purposes of subsequent dependency, termination of parental rights, or adoption proceedings.
[
2011 c 309 s 14
.]
RCW 13.38.150
Consent to foster care placement or termination of parental rights
—
Withdrawal.
(1) If an Indian child's parent or Indian custodian voluntarily consents to a foster care placement of the child or to termination of parental rights, the consent is not valid unless executed in writing and recorded before a judge of a court of competent jurisdiction and accompanied by the judge's certificate that the terms and consequences of the consent were fully explained in detail and were fully understood by the parent or Indian custodian. The court must also certify that either the parent or Indian custodian fully understood the explanation in English or that it was interpreted into a language that the parent or Indian custodian understood. Any consent for release of custody given prior to, or within ten days after, the birth of the Indian child shall not be valid.
(2) An Indian child's parent or Indian custodian may withdraw consent to a voluntary foster care placement at any time and, upon the withdrawal of consent, the child shall be returned to the parent or Indian custodian.
(3) In a voluntary proceeding for termination of parental rights to, or adoptive placement of, an Indian child, the consent of the parent may be withdrawn for any reason at any time prior to the entry of an order terminating parental rights or a final decree of adoption, and the child shall be returned to the parent.
(4) After the entry of a final decree of adoption of an Indian child, the parent may withdraw consent to the adoption upon the grounds that consent was obtained through fraud or duress. Upon a finding that such consent was obtained through fraud or duress the court shall vacate the decree and return the child to the parent. No adoption which has been effective for at least two years may be invalidated under this section unless otherwise allowed by state law.
[
2011 c 309 s 15
.]
RCW 13.38.160
Improper removal of Indian child.
If a petitioner in a child custody proceeding under this chapter has improperly removed the child from the custody of the parent or Indian custodian or has improperly retained custody after a visit or other temporary relinquishment of custody, the court shall decline jurisdiction over the petition and shall immediately return the child to the child's parent or Indian custodian unless returning the child to the parent or Indian custodian would subject the child to substantial and immediate danger or threat of such danger.
[
2011 c 309 s 16
.]
RCW 13.38.170
Removal of Indian child from adoptive or foster care placement.
(1) If a final decree of adoption of an Indian child has been vacated or set aside or the adoptive parents voluntarily consent to the termination of their parental rights to the child, the biological parent or prior Indian custodian may petition to have the child returned to their custody and the court shall grant the request unless there is a showing by clear and convincing evidence that return of custody to the biological parent or prior Indian custodian is not in the best interests of the Indian child.
(2) If an Indian child is removed from a foster care placement or a preadoptive or adoptive home for the purpose of further foster care, preadoptive, or adoptive placement, the placement shall be in accordance with this chapter, except when an Indian child is being returned to the parent or Indian custodian from whose custody the child was originally removed.
[
2011 c 309 s 17
.]
RCW 13.38.180
Placement preferences.
(1) When an emergency removal, foster care placement, or preadoptive placement of an Indian child is necessary, a good faith effort will be made to place the Indian child:
(a) In the least restrictive setting;
(b) Which most approximates a family situation;
(c) Which is in reasonable proximity to the Indian child's home; and
(d) In which the Indian child's special needs, if any, will be met.
(2) In any foster care or preadoptive placement, a preference shall be given, in absence of good cause to the contrary, to the child's placement with one of the following:
(a) A member of the child's extended family;
(b) A foster home licensed, approved, or specified by the child's tribe;
(c) An Indian foster home licensed or approved by an authorized non-Indian licensing authority;
(d) A child foster care agency approved by an Indian tribe or operated by an Indian organization which has a program suitable to meet the Indian child's needs;
(e) A non-Indian child foster care agency approved by the child's tribe;
(f) A non-Indian family that is committed to:
(i) Promoting and allowing appropriate extended family visitation;
(ii) Establishing, maintaining, and strengthening the child's relationship with his or her tribe or tribes; and
(iii) Participating in the cultural and ceremonial events of the child's tribe.
(3) In the absence of good cause to the contrary, any adoptive or other permanent placement of an Indian child, preference shall be given to a placement with one of the following, in descending priority order:
(a) Extended family members;
(b) An Indian family of the same tribe as the child;
(c) An Indian family that is of a similar culture to the child's tribe;
(d) Another Indian family; or
(e) Any other family which can provide a suitable home for an Indian child, such suitability to be determined in consultation with the Indian child's tribe or, in proceedings under chapter
13.34
RCW where the Indian child is in the custody of the department or a supervising agency and the Indian child's tribe has not intervened or participated, the local Indian child welfare advisory committee.
(4) Notwithstanding the placement preferences listed in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, if a different order of placement preference is established by the child's tribe, the court or agency effecting the placement shall follow the order of preference established by the tribe so long as the placement is in the least restrictive setting appropriate to the particular needs of the child.
(5) Where appropriate, the preference of the Indian child or his or her parent shall be considered by the court. Where a consenting parent evidences a desire for anonymity, the court or agency shall give weight to such desire in applying the preferences.
(6) The standards to be applied in meeting the preference requirements of this section shall be the prevailing social and cultural standards of the Indian community in which the parent or extended family members of an Indian child reside, or with which the parent or extended family members maintain social and cultural ties.
(7) Nothing in this section shall prevent the department or the court from placing the child with a parent to effectuate a permanent plan regardless of the parent's relationship to the child's tribe.
[
2011 c 309 s 18
.]
RCW 13.38.190
Review of cases
—
Standards and procedures
—
Compliance.
(1) The department, in consultation with Indian tribes, shall establish standards and procedures for the department's review of cases subject to this chapter and methods for monitoring the department's compliance with provisions of the federal Indian child welfare act and this chapter. These standards and procedures and the monitoring methods shall also be integrated into the department's child welfare contracting and contract monitoring process.
(2) Nothing in this chapter shall affect, impair, or limit rights or remedies provided to any party under the federal Indian child welfare act, 25 U.S.C. Sec. 1914.
[
2011 c 309 s 19
.]