DCYF and Binti, a child welfare software provider, have joined together to launch the Washington Caregiver Application Portal (WA CAP) this fall, which will allow prospective foster parents to complete the application process online.
Across the country, the process of becoming a foster parent is primarily conducted via paper application. This can make the process cumbersome for some families and, at times challenging for the child welfare agency to support and license that family effectively.
"WA CAP enables us to provide a single application source to prospective and existing caregivers, streamline our home study process, automate existing paper practices, and provide tools for efficient recruitment and retention of foster parents in Washington State," said DCYF Senior Administrator Ruben Reeves. "Binti is helping Washington State improve the foster care licensing process by increasing and diversifying the population of foster families."
WA CAP will provide portals for foster family applicants, references, and other adults to complete their portion of the process via a mobile-friendly secure portal that will be tracked in real-time. The portal will also allow DCYF staff to complete their paperwork, such as the home study evaluation, and track background checks, training hours, and case notes.
Child Placing Agencies (CPAs) across Washington State who license foster parents will also have their own Binti portals to track their applications. DCYF will have ultimate approval over these applications and high-level data and reporting.
"Up until this partnership with Binti, we haven't had strong oversight into the licensure metrics of each of our agencies," shared David Yantis, DCYF Project Manager. "Now, we are looking forward to accessing these insights with the click of a button."
Binti has helped over 200 child welfare agencies launch their online licensing module. Washington will be the fourth state-wide agency to convert the process online.
"We are thrilled to provide DCYF a more seamless process to license foster parents, especially since this can already be a stressful process," said Felicia Curcuru, CEO of Binti.