To the Residents of Washington State

I am pleased to present the Year 2002 report of the Office of the Family and Children's Ombudsman.

Last year was marked by a significant change at the Ombudsman. After serving nearly six years as the Ombudsman's first director, Vickie Wallen left her post in July 2002 to care for her new son. Under Ms. Wallen's leadership, the Ombudsman achieved a high degree of credibility and respect among our diverse range of stakeholders, including DSHS service recipients, legislators, community professionals, child and family advocates, agency workers, and the public. You can be assured that we at the Ombudsman will continue working hard to maintain the credibility and respect earned during Ms. Wallen's tenure.

The year also encompassed a tremendous amount of activity. Last year, the Ombudsman received a record number of complaints. The increase in complaints is not unusual. Over the past five years, our work of responding to inquiries and investigating complaints has accelerated dramatically. Inquiries made by families and citizens have more than doubled, while the number of complaints filed with our office has increased 90 percent.

Responding effectively to the dramatic increase in workload has been one of our biggest challenges in recent years. Because the Ombudsman has not been fully staffed since 2001, this challenge has been especially daunting. However, we are implementing significant work-process efficiencies and making extra effort to maintain a high level of responsiveness to those who contact our office.

Although slowed by the lack of a permanent director, our work on systemic issues continues. Several safety-improvement recommendations contained in the Ombudsman's 2001 report on the Washington School for the Deaf were adopted by the 2002 Legislature. In addition, the 2002 Legislature convened a work group and considered legislation that responded to concerns raised in several Ombudsman reports about the state's inadequate response to repeated reports of child neglect. Our investigation of DSHS's process for reviewing the fatalities of children served by Child Protective and Child Welfare Services continues. We hope to complete it within the next year.

Before closing, I want to acknowledge the contributions of Rosie Oreskovich to our state. As the Assistant Secretary of the DSHS Children's Administration, Ms. Oreskovich, devoted virtually all of her time and energy to strengthening the system that serves abused and neglected children, and their families. Her unexpected death earlier this year brings not only sadness, but a sense of deep loss among those of us who know of her life-long commitment to helping vulnerable children and families. Rosie's remarkable life of public service is an inspiration.

On behalf of all of us at the Office of the Family and Children's Ombudsman, I want to thank you for your interest in our work. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve as a voice for the families and children of Washington State.

Sincerely,