Olympia —The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) will receive more than $540,000 annually over the next five years to focus on the prevention of maltreatment and the reduction of children and youth entry into foster care. DCYF was one of nine nationwide recipients of the federal Community Collaborations to Strengthen and Preserve Families grant. The grant is administered by the Children’s Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration.

“We are excited for this new opportunity to support the work within communities to strengthen families. We will tailor strategies to help families get what they need,” said Judy King, Director of DCYF’s Family Support Programs division. “Aligned with the work of DCYF, this investment focuses on partnerships in communities to design and test community-driven approaches essential to supporting the health and well-being of families. This powerful primary prevention strategy will enable us to learn from the work within communities and shape the trajectory of our prevention-focused work in the future.”

This five-year project, led by DCYF’s Strengthening Families Washington team, will begin by building new and strengthening existing multi-system collaborations in local communities. In addition, DCYF will partner with parents and providers in four pilot communities to evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative as it progresses. DCYF selected the pilot locales for this project at random from among the 23 locales in Washington with the highest rates of risk and protective factors reported over time. The four pilot locales are Port Angeles, Bremerton, Columbia and Spokane.

The initiative is based on existing research and best practices, as well as the rich history in Washington State of community-based prevention efforts. DCYF has confidence that the initiative will result in substantial reduction in rates of child maltreatment and reduced entry into foster care in the four targeted communities. The agency also expects to learn whether this individualized, community-based approach can work across Washington State to reach the overall agency desired outcomes.

To read the official announcement and to learn about the other projects selected, visit the Administration For Children & Families website.

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