Welcome to the BraamKids website! This site is designed to provide information to foster youth, foster parents, social workers, child advocates, and anyone interested in learning about the plan for reforming the foster care system in Washington State, including how you can get involved. This site is provided courtesy of the Plaintiffs in Braam v. State of Washington, a lawsuit about the conditions in foster care.
WHAT IS BRAAM?
Braam vs. State of Washington was originally filed in 1998 and settled in July of 2004. As part of the settlement agreement, the State agreed to make reforms in six key areas:
Placement Stability
Mental Health
Foster Parent Training and Information
Unsafe/Inappropriate Placements
Sibling Separation; and
Adolescent Services
The Braam Oversight Panel was created to come up with a clear and specific implementation plan for the State to follow. To learn more, select Background Information in the sidebar on the left.
WHAT IS CURRENTLY GOING ON WITH BRAAM?
New DSHS Secretary to "Embrace" Braam Reform as "Good For Children"
The new Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Secretary Susan Dreyfus spoke at the Braam Panel Meeting on June 15, 2009. She said she will embrace the Braam settlement as a way to improve the system. Read the Olympian's coverage of her remarks here.
Progress and Areas of Concern: Oversight Panel Releases 6th Monitoring Report
The Braam Oversight Panel released its 6th Monitoring Report on March 16, 2009. The Report covers the State's performance on Action Steps and Outcomes through December 31, 2008. The Monitoring Report can be found on the Panel's website.
In response to the 6th Monitoring Report, Plaintiffs' attorneys created a Outcome Data Trends Report that tracks the Department's performance since the Braam Panel began collecting data (Fiscal Year 2005). The Trendsdocument highlights areas of Department progress and areas where Department performance has stalled.
Washington State Facing $9 Billion Budget Deficit: How will it affect Braam?
The March 2009 revenue forecast estimates that Washington State faces a devastating $9 billion budget deficit through mid-2011. Click herefor more information.
In December 2008, Governor Gregoire released her proposed biennial and supplemental budgets to the 2009 State Legislature. Some of the budget cuts or defunded programs directly relate to the Braam v. Washington foster care settlement agreement. Plaintiffs’ attorneys, who filed a Motion to Enforce the settlement agreement last year and prevailed on the Motion in June 2008, are concerned that those budget cuts, if implemented by the Legislature, will hamper the success the Department had made on Braam requirements.
Click here to see an overview of items that the Governor has has recommended cutting or eliminating in her proposed budgets and that are Braam-related.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys will continue to review the Governor’s budget, as well as legislative budgets, for possible effects on Braam.
Groundbreaking Foster Parent Survey...
In September 2007, the Survey of Foster Parents and Caregivers in Washington State was released, and the survey was repeated in 2008.
We believe it to be the most comprehensive ongoing state foster parent survey ever conducted in this country. Over 1,200 foster parents were interviewed on a range of topics related to the Braam Implementation Plan.
The next survey will be conducted in late spring/early summer 2009 with results published in the 7th Monitoring Report (available in October 2009).
The last Panel meeting was held on June 15th in Olympia and June 16th, in SeaTac, WA.For minutes of the meeting and all past Panel meetings, click here.
The next Panel meeting will be September 14th and 15th, 2009. For more information, click here.
Welcome to the BraamKids website! This site is designed to provide information to foster youth, foster parents, social workers, child advocates, and anyone interested in learning about the plan for reforming the foster care system in Washington State, including how you can get involved. This site is provided courtesy of the Plaintiffs in Braam v. State of Washington, a lawsuit about the conditions in foster care.
The Braam Oversight Panel was created to come up with a clear and specific implementation plan for the State to follow. To learn more, select Background Information in the sidebar on the left. 