Foster Care

This month, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families is joining the country to celebrate Social Work Month.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the Seattle Mariners are excited to announce the return of our annual foster parent and kinship caregiver celebration—We Are Family Day! 

A new $2.5 million five-year federal investment in kinship families will support children and families experiencing out-of-home care in King County.

Earlier this year, Gov. Jay Inslee signed Proclamation 21-02: Extended Eligibility for Foster Care Services in response to the Federal requirement that states must not exit young people from care beginning in March 2020.

The Treehouse CARES Project pays for tutoring, school-related items, and extracurricular activities, helping to eliminate financial barriers to success in school. Benefits are available to children and youth in foster care and young adults in Extended Foster Care (EFC).

Youth eligible for the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families’ (DCYF) Independent Living (IL) program can now receive additional assistance from their local IL provider.

This Back-to-School season, help send youth in foster care back to school with the essentials they need to succeed.

Treehouse is hosting Back-to-School drives. Donation drives ensure that Treehouse is stocked with items that help foster youth feel good and fit in with their peers.

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and Treehouse are partnering to disperse approximately $1.65 million in congressional funds to help alumni of foster care recover from the financial hardships caused by the pandemic.

One of the populations hit hardest by the pandemic's economic and social fallout is young adults, particularly those who don't have the extensive family support networks that many of us and our children do. Youth and young adults in foster care are prime examples. Many of the jobs they would go into in retail, food service, or other in-person customer service jobs suddenly ceased to exist.

In order to ensure the health and safety of children, families, parents and caregivers, DCYF is providing this COVID-related guidance for travel considerations and approvals.  This memo serves as interim policy guidance related to policy 5800 – Travel and Transportation. 

This memo includes: