Notice to parents of adolescent voluntarily admitted to inpatient treatment — When required — Duties of professional person in charge — Form of notice.
RCW 71.34.510
in effect(1) The professional person in charge of an evaluation and treatment facility shall provide notice to the parent of an adolescent when the adolescent is voluntarily admitted to inpatient treatment under RCW 71.34.500 solely for mental health treatment and not for substance use disorder treatment, unless the professional person has a compelling reason to believe that such disclosure would be detrimental to the adolescent or contact cannot be made, in which case the professional person must document the reasons in the adolescent's medical record. (2) The professional person in charge of an evaluation and treatment facility or an approved substance use disorder treatment program shall provide notice to the parent of an adolescent voluntarily admitted to inpatient treatment under RCW 71.34.500 for substance use disorder treatment only if: (a) The adolescent provides written consent to the disclosure of the fact of admission and such other substance use disorder treatment information in the notice; or (b) permitted by federal law. (3) If the professional person withholds notice to a parent under subsection (1) of this section, or such notice cannot be provided, the professional person in charge of the facility must consult the information that the Washington state patrol makes publicly available under RCW 43.43.510 (2) at least once every eight hours for the first seventy-two hours of treatment and once every twenty-four hours thereafter while the adolescent continues to receive inpatient services and until the time that the professional person contacts a parent of the adolescent. If the adolescent is publicly listed as missing, the professional person must immediately notify the department of children, youth, and families of its contact with the youth listed as missing. The notification must include a description of the adolescent's physical and emotional condition. (4) The notice required under subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall be in the form most likely to reach the parent within twenty-four hours of the adolescent's voluntary admission and shall advise the parent: (a) That the adolescent has been admitted to inpatient treatment; (b) of the location and telephone number of the facility providing such treatment; (c) of the name of a professional person on the staff of the facility providing treatment who is designated to discuss the adolescent's need for inpatient treatment with the parent; and (d) of the medical necessity for admission. Notification efforts under subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall begin as soon as reasonably practicable, considering the adolescent's immediate medical needs.
(1) The professional person in charge of an evaluation and treatment facility shall provide notice to the parent of an adolescent when the adolescent is voluntarily admitted to inpatient treatment under RCW 71.34.500 solely for mental health treatment and not for substance use disorder treatment, unless the professional person has a compelling reason to believe that such disclosure would be detrimental to the adolescent or contact cannot be made, in which case the professional person must document the reasons in the adolescent's medical record.
(2) The professional person in charge of an evaluation and treatment facility or an approved substance use disorder treatment program shall provide notice to the parent of an adolescent voluntarily admitted to inpatient treatment under RCW 71.34.500 for substance use disorder treatment only if: (a) The adolescent provides written consent to the disclosure of the fact of admission and such other substance use disorder treatment information in the notice; or (b) permitted by federal law.
(3) If the professional person withholds notice to a parent under subsection (1) of this section, or such notice cannot be provided, the professional person in charge of the facility must consult the information that the Washington state patrol makes publicly available under RCW 43.43.510 (2) at least once every eight hours for the first seventy-two hours of treatment and once every twenty-four hours thereafter while the adolescent continues to receive inpatient services and until the time that the professional person contacts a parent of the adolescent. If the adolescent is publicly listed as missing, the professional person must immediately notify the department of children, youth, and families of its contact with the youth listed as missing. The notification must include a description of the adolescent's physical and emotional condition.
(4) The notice required under subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall be in the form most likely to reach the parent within twenty-four hours of the adolescent's voluntary admission and shall advise the parent: (a) That the adolescent has been admitted to inpatient treatment; (b) of the location and telephone number of the facility providing such treatment; (c) of the name of a professional person on the staff of the facility providing treatment who is designated to discuss the adolescent's need for inpatient treatment with the parent; and (d) of the medical necessity for admission. Notification efforts under subsections (1) and (2) of this section shall begin as soon as reasonably practicable, considering the adolescent's immediate medical needs.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=71.34&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026