The Department of Children Youth & Family (DCYF) is designing Family First Community-Based Pathways (FFCBP). Families, Tribal partners, and local groups are helping with this work. These pathways will help families get support through trusted local agencies. Families can choose to take part without opening a child welfare case.
Services will respect each family’s culture and language, help meet family needs, help keep children safely at home.
This work builds on the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). This law allows states to get federal funds to cover part of the cost of approved prevention services. These services help keep children safely at home. Children and families must meet the rules to qualify.
What are "Family First Community-Based Pathways"?
These pathways will help families find support through local agencies. Families can get help without an open child welfare case or child welfare case management.
Families may hear about support through schools, clinics, libraries, Tribal programs, or local groups. The goal is to help families find services wherever they first ask for help.
Taking part is voluntary, meaning families choose whether to participate. They set their goals and choose the supports that work for them.
Goals
Family First Community-Based Pathways aim to:
- Reduce child welfare involvement. Help families get local services that respect their culture and reduce the need for child welfare services.
- Strengthen families and communities. Work with trusted local partners to help children stay safely with their families whenever possible.
- Expand prevention services. Offer more services that research shows can help families. These include mental health care, substance use support, and help with parenting skills at home.
- Meet each family’s needs. Work with Tribal partners and local groups to connect families to the services and support they need.
- Listen to the community. Use input from lived experts, partners, and providers to help shape Washington’s prevention plan and the pathways.
- Build lasting support. Help programs work well, serve families fairly, and have the funding and support to keep going.
Where We Are Now
DCYF is still designing the pathways. We are gathering input from families, Tribal partners, local groups, and service providers. We are also hearing from lived experts. These are people with first-hand experience.
Listening sessions, Tribal conversations, and workgroups are helping shape the design in three areas:
- Community Pathways and Access: How families learn about support, reach trusted agencies, and get help finding services.
- Service Alignment and Community Capacity: What services families need and what providers need to offer them.
- Data, Learning, and Accountability: How we can use information to learn, protect privacy, and improve families’ experiences.
DCYF will review this input. We will also review state and federal rules. This will help us plan the next steps. We will update this page as plans take shape. We will also share new ways to take part.
What This Looks Like for a Family
These steps show the proposed approach. We are still working on the details.
- Learn about support. A family hears about services through a school, clinic, library, Tribal program, local group, or another trusted source.
- Connect with a community agency. The family meets with an agency to learn about support and decide whether to take part.
- Discuss consent and who qualifies. The agency explains what information it needs. It asks for consent or permission, before sharing information. DCYF helps confirm whether the family qualifies for Family First-funded services.
- Create a plan together. A resource navigator is a person who helps families find support. The navigator helps the family name their strengths, needs, and goals. Together, they complete a prevention plan.
- Connect to services. The navigator helps the family meet a service provider through a warm handoff. The navigator helps with the first contact. The family learns who to call and what comes next.
- Get ongoing support. The navigator checks in with the family. They help solve problems that may keep the family from getting help. The navigator supports the family as they work toward their goals. Families can return for help if their needs change.
Families who do not qualify for Family First-funded services may still get help finding other local resources.
Looking for Support Today
You can explore local resources now. You do not need to wait for the pathway design work to be finished.The programs and groups below offer different kinds of support. Services and rules for who qualifies vary by program and location. Contacting these resources does not enroll you in the proposed pathways.
Plans of Safe Care
Plans of Safe Care help infants exposed to substances before birth and their families or caregivers. They help connect families to services and support that work together.
Community-Based Family Reconciliation Services
Community-Based Family Reconciliation Services help youth and families who qualify work through conflict and build stronger relationships.
Learn who qualifies and how to connect: Family Reconciliation Services (FRS) | Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Family Resource Centers
Family Resource Centers are run by local groups. They connect families to local services and support. Services vary by location. They may include help with basic needs, parenting, and finding services.
To find centers by county or region, visit the Washington Family Support Network and select “Find Help.” Some centers may not be listed.
How Existing Programs and Pilots Inform the Design
DCYF is learning from Plans of Safe Care, Community-Based Family Reconciliation Services, Family Resource Centers, Juvenile Court Exits, and Home Visiting. We are also learning from Tribes. This will help us design the pathways and connect them with existing supports.
These programs serve different groups and have their own rules. They can help us learn how to build trust and offer choices. We can also learn how to help families find services and follow up.
Pilots, or small projects that test an approach, will also help shape the design. They will help DCYF learn what families and providers need for local services to work together. Each pilot will have its own location, rules for who can take part, services, and start date.
