(1) Within available funds, the department shall fund evidence-based and research-based home visitation programs for improving parenting skills and outcomes for children. Home visitation programs must be voluntary and must address the needs of families to alleviate the effect on child development of factors such as poverty, single parenthood, parental unemployment or underemployment, parental disability, or parental lack of high school diploma, which research shows are risk factors for child abuse and neglect and poor educational outcomes. In order to maximize opportunities to obtain matching funds from private entities, general funds intended to support home visiting funding shall be appropriated to the home visiting services account established in *RCW 43.215.130. (2) The department shall work with the department of social and health services, the department of health, the private-public partnership created in *RCW 43.215.070, and key partners and stakeholders to develop a plan to coordinate or consolidate home visitation services for children and families to the extent practicable.
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