Foster Care

Dear Director Dowd,

A Blog from a Former Foster Kid

Emiley Thorne

As a foster kid, something significant about permanency and sup

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families has launched two newsletters, each focused on providing resources and information for families across the state.

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families published a report with recommendations and research findings on creating a kin-first culture in Washington State. 

 Davonte Robertson, 16, is set to throw the ceremonial first pitch during the May 7 Mariners game as part of We Are Family Day at T-Mobile Park.

From expanding crisis family preservation services statewide to increasing the number of licensed kinship caregivers, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is working tirelessly on various practice changes and increased supports to improve outcomes for families.

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is making it much easier for individuals interested in becoming foster parents to apply.

In an effort to increase accessibility to high-quality child care for children and youth in foster care and increase placement capacity throughout the state, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) now offer multi-licensing.

Today, Washington State stopped forcing parents involved in the child welfare system to pay the state for the costs of caring for their child in foster care. Credible studies show that doing so often results in children lingering in foster care, causing needless damage to the child and costing taxpayers more than is likely to be collected.

DCYF’s Recruitment and Retention Team is stepping into the world of social media! After months of hard work, we are excited to announce a DCYF-approved Facebook page for recruiting foster parents across Washington State.