A King County Superior Court judge will allow InvestigateWest journalists to examine records it sought for an examination of how well the state is planning with young people for their future after they leave foster care. InvestigateWest argued for access to transition plans that the state Department of Social and Health Services create with young people approaching 18 years old, an age where they generally leave foster care. The plans are considered important in helping foster care youth prepare for life as young adults, and the pioneering news organization said that analyzing the records can help determine how well DSHS is serving young people. Judge Laura Inveen's order will let InvestigateWest look at the records after information identifying the foster children has been redacted.
According to Investigate West, DSHS wanted the journalists to first apply for access through an institutional review board. The pioneering journalism organization argued that the requirement would be a violation of freedom of press protections, which include the ability to operate without government licensing. In a statement, IW's attorney, Katherine George, of Harrison-Benis, LLP, said, “It shows that DSHS children's programs are not immune from public scrutiny, and opens a new avenue for journalists to get behind the wall of confidentiality normally surrounding the state's handling of abused and neglected children."
