Budget veto halts cuts for children’s services

OLYMPIA – Gov. Christine Gregoire has eased the multimillion-dollar budget problem at the Children’s Administration.

A recent budget veto by the governor stopped the Legislature from cutting the Department of Social and Health Services budget by $16.7 million.

The agency said Friday that some of the money will be used to fill at least part of the budget gap at the agency’s program for poor and vulnerable children and those in foster care.

The program overspent its budget by $12 million and began cutting some services.

The program’s new director, Cheryl Stephani, said the agency still is tightly controlling expenses for services and administration until the new fiscal year begins July 1.

Some caseworkers will be hired during the downhold, but contracts with community service providers will be reviewed for effectiveness and efficiency, she said.

Some contract changes are likely, she said.

The state budget office said the exact amount of the budget backfill won’t be known until the end of the fiscal year next month.

For now, the budget relief is good news, Stephani said.

“We now have the ability to make sure we have services in place to meet the health and safety needs of kids,” she said in an interview.

In a statement released by her office, she added, “For the remainder of the fiscal year, decisions regarding the safety of vulnerable children will not need to be tempered by concerns over the budget shortfall.”

Some children’s advocates were disappointed that Stephani was still talking about near-term service cuts, including the foster-care program.