(1) The department shall, subject to available funds, establish a system of early identification and referral to treatment of child victims of sexual assault or sexual abuse. The system shall include schools, physicians, sexual assault centers, domestic violence centers, child protective services, and foster parents. A mechanism shall be developed to identify communities that have experienced success in this area and share their expertise and methodology with other communities statewide.

(2) The department shall provide services to support children it suspects have been commercially sexually exploited. The child may decide whether to voluntarily engage in the services offered by the department.

(a) To provide services supporting children it suspects have been commercially sexually exploited, the department may provide:

(i) At least one liaison position in each region of the department where receiving center programs are established under RCW 7.68.380 who are dedicated to serving commercially sexually exploited children and who report directly to the statewide program manager under (a)(ii) of this subsection;

(ii) One statewide program manager;

(iii) A designated person responsible for supporting commercially sexually exploited children, who may be assigned other duties in addition to this responsibility, in regions of the department where there is not a dedicated liaison position as identified under (a)(i) of this subsection; and

(iv) Coordinate appropriate, available, community-based services for children following discharge from an evaluation and treatment facility as defined in RCW 71.34.020, including the receiving centers established in RCW 7.68.380.

(b) The department shall collect nonidentifiable data regarding the number of commercially sexually exploited children, including reports of commercially sexually exploited children received from law enforcement under chapter 26.44 RCW.

(3) The department shall provide an annual report to the commercially sexually exploited children statewide coordinating committee established under *RCW 7.68.801 by December 1st that includes:

(a) A description of services provided by the department to commercially sexually exploited children; and

(b) Nonidentifiable data regarding the number of commercially sexually exploited children.

(4) The department may solicit and accept gifts, grants, conveyances, bequests, and devices for supporting the purposes of this section.

(5) Nothing in this section shall be construed to create a private right of action against the department for failure to identify, offer, or provide services.

(6) The department shall convene a work group to study, analyze, and issue recommendations regarding how decriminalizing prostitution and prostitution loitering for persons under eighteen will impact law enforcement and prosecutor efforts and ability to discover and access the victim's cell phone records to aid in prosecution of the perpetrator or abuser. The work group must issue recommendations to appropriate committees of the legislature by October 31, 2021.

*Reviser's note: RCW 7.68.801 expired June 30, 2023.

Finding—2020 c 331: See note following RCW 7.68.380.

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.