Second Substitute Senate Bill 6308 amends RCW 13.34.065 and RCW 13.34.110 and creates a new section to change procedures and some substantive rules governing juvenile shelter care and dependency proceedings. The bill establishes timing and scheduling rules for shelter care hearings (generally within 72 hours of removal or filing, excluding weekends/holidays), requires clerk notification and information for unrepresented parents, prescribes who must submit recommendations to the court, and sets evidentiary and notice requirements at shelter care hearings (parties may present testimony; hearsay must be supported by sworn testimony, affidavit, or declaration). It also amends fact-finding procedures to require written findings, apply the rules of evidence, require proof by a preponderance of the evidence, and set rules for stipulated orders of dependency and disposition. The act revises the standard for release versus removal at shelter care hearings, requiring the court to release the alleged dependent child to the parent/guardian/custodian unless the court finds reasonable cause and one of specified conditions (such as lack of available supervision, imminent physical harm based on evidence, or certain criminal charges against the parent). The bill limits the court’s authority to order parent examinations, evaluations, or services at the shelter care hearing unless the parent agrees (with some exceptions) and preserves the parent’s opportunity to consult counsel before agreeing. The court must consider temporary protection orders and must give great weight to lethality concerns regarding high‑potency synthetic opioids and Department of Health guidance when assessing imminent harm and placement decisions. The bill changes placement and visitation rules: it directs the court to prioritize placement with relatives or other suitable persons, to inquire about and give weight to parent and child preferences, and to allow placements to proceed despite incomplete background checks or certain home conditions while requiring prompt completion of checks and supports to remedy conditions. It requires the department to provide referrals within seven days after a parent signs a release, prohibits using the department’s failure to provide timely referrals as a basis for removal or continued shelter care, mandates court review of conditions ordered under the new subsection at least every 30 days, sets timelines for hearings after placement in qualified residential treatment, and requires early visitation (first visit within 72 hours, supervised unless supervision is found unnecessary). The extracted text is incomplete in important respects: subsection (5)(c) ends mid‑provision so the full scope and limits of the court’s new authority to impose conditions for children under age five are not included here; the complete text of the amendment to RCW 13.34.110 and the new section created by the act are not provided; and definitions for key terms referenced (for example, “least restrictive conditions,” “high‑potency synthetic opioid,” “reasonable cause,” and the specific department named) are not included in the extracted facts.

If enacted, this bill would force faster decision-making and more active casework right after a child is taken into custody: courts must hold shelter care hearings within 72 hours (excluding weekends/holidays), judges must ask a set list of safety and placement questions, and if a child under five is released to a parent the court can impose least‑restrictive safety conditions that are reviewed at least every 30 days. The child welfare agency must provide referrals within seven days when a parent signs releases, start relative home assessments within 10 days when a relative seeks licensure, and finish background checks as soon as possible after an approved relative placement; the court is pushed to place children with relatives or other suitable people whenever feasible and can order supports to make those placements safe. Visitation rules change so the first visit must happen within 72 hours and is supervised unless supervision is unnecessary, and fact‑finding hearings will follow evidentiary rules with the petitioner bearing the burden of proof. The direct winners and losers will be courts, the child welfare department, parents (especially of children under five), relatives who may care for children, and foster care providers. Courts and clerks will have tighter scheduling duties and more frequent review obligations; the department will face faster referral, assessment, background-check, reporting, and support timelines that could raise workload and administrative costs and require reallocating resources to meet new deadlines and to offer financial or practical supports to relatives. Parents gain clearer procedural protections (rights notices, limits on ordering services without agreement) but may also face court-ordered in‑home conditions for young children; relatives may get quicker access to licensure and payments but must cooperate with case plans or risk removal. The bill text provided is incomplete on key definitions and the full limits of the new authority for children under five, so how narrowly or broadly courts can impose and enforce those conditions is uncertain.