Frequently Asked Questions

Everyone is welcome to apply to become a foster parent: People from all racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds, renters and homeowners, people who are LGBTQ+, and those with any education level.

No. You can be single, partnered, or married.

You need to be at least 21 years old to be a foster parent.

Yes. We review your finances during the home study process to be sure that you can meet the financial needs of your family without the monthly caregiver supports resource level payment. We encourage everyone to apply regardless of their current level of income.

A "home study" is both an assessment process and a report that you need to complete to become a foster parent. The goal of the home study is to assess a family's ability to provide a safe and healthy environment for young people experiencing foster care. The home study is a mandatory part of the licensing process.

The licensor looks at the family's individual and shared background in many areas that include, but are not limited to:

• Parenting experience
• Relationships
• Support systems
• Finances
• Home environment

It takes around 120 days. The timeframe depends on many factors including the licensor and the family's availability, engagement, and collaboration.

You must meet the requirements in WAC 110-148 before becoming licensed. There are some exceptions for kin (as defined in RCW 74.15.020(2)(a)). Exceptions are assessed individually because of each family's unique circumstances.

You do not have to be a US citizen to be a foster parent. However, at least one parent on the license must have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to receive caregiver supports resource level payments.

While criminal or CPS history does not automatically disqualify a person from being a foster parent, all foster parents must pass a review of any CPS history and a criminal background check that includes FBI fingerprinting.

There are some criminal charges that could keep you from getting licensed (most of these charges involve an adult harming or trying to hurt a vulnerable person such as a child, youth, or vulnerable adult). Please talk to your licensor or a licensing supervisor for more information and review the Secretary's List of Crimes and Negative Actions for Employees and Providers.

No. You can get licensed by DCYF's Licensing Division or a Child Placing Agency (CPA). A CPA is a private agency licensed by DCYF to complete home studies and supervise young people placed in the care of families licensed by the agency. These agencies share DCYF's goal to reunify families, and they can assist families when a permanent plan of guardianship or adoption is needed.

Many of these agencies will not license families if they are only interested in adoption from foster care. You will want to check with the agency regarding their policies. There are also private adoption agencies that focus solely on international and domestic adoptions; these agencies often do not work with DCYF. The term "private agency" is sometimes used to refer to Child Placing Agencies or Private Adoption Agencies.

Find CPAs in your region

Most young people may share bedrooms. Each young person must have their own, separate bed. Young people with the same gender identity may share rooms, and young people with different gender identities can share a room if all the young people in the room are less than six years old. Young people of the foster family can share rooms with young people placed in their care.

Some young people cannot share bedrooms because of supervision concerns or other needs. There are case-specific situations that foster parents discuss with the young person's caseworker and, sometimes, their licensor, too.

Yes, adult household members who visit or stay over regularly or for longer than two weeks are required to pass a background check, complete a Tuberculosis (TB) screening, and meet certain immunization requirements if caring for young people under 2 years old. There are additional requirements if they also provide care for young people placed in the home.

Foster parents complete pre-service training to help prepare them for welcoming a young person into their home. Kinship caregivers do not have to complete the full training, as a more targeted training program has been created for kin (see Kinship Core Training below). All caregivers have access to training resources. All training is free and available to current and future foster parents and kinship caregivers. Visit the Alliance website to create an account and register for classes.

• Caregiver Core Training (CCT), the course that all foster parents are required to take.
• Kinship Core Training (KCT), a version of CCT that is specific to kinship caregiving.
• CaRES "Top Trainings" recommendations.

Foster parents are never required to take a young person in their care. Foster parents work with their licensor and decide how many young people and what ages they will be licensed for. Families can choose what developmental stages work best for their family and home environment, and they can note their preference for young people they wish to have placed in their care. This is taken into consideration during the home study process and the licensor makes the final approval based on the physical space available, meeting the licensing requirements for different age ranges, parenting skill level, and experience.

In general, foster parents are provided with information before placement to help inform their decision about whether they can meet the child's needs. Foster parents are encouraged to ask questions where they need more information. We suggest foster parents make a list of questions and identify where additional information is needed to help guide the decision. It is always okay to ask more questions and take time to gather more information. You will also receive the Child Information and Placement Referral form (CIPR).

It is important to remember that young people are individuals, and no picture is ever complete. A young person's behavior may look very different with you than it did in previous placements. Often, DCYF does not have a lot of information about young people who are new to care.

Yes. Foster parents have the right to accept or decline placement requests as long as their decision does not violate Washington State's discrimination laws (visit RCW 49.60 to read more). It is important for foster parents to know what is and is not a fit in their home. It is equally important that the family ask questions to learn about the young person's needs prior to placement. Foster families should never feel like they need to take a placement that they are not equipped to care for. Feel free to reach out to your assigned licensor if you are unsure or need additional information, and remember that foster parents can access free, high-quality training from the Alliance to boost and grow their parenting skills.

Yes, but if the travel is more than 72 hours or out of the country, the foster parent needs prior approval from the young person's caseworker and sometimes the court. It is very important that the foster family tells the young person's caseworker about their travel plans as soon as possible in case court or additional approvals are needed. This way the foster family and caseworker can decide if the decision impacts the court-ordered visits the young person has with their family or services and begin planning with the young person's parents. You can learn more about activities allowed in our Caregiver Guidelines for Supporting Normal Childhood Activities for Children and Youth Experiencing Out-of-Home Care guide.

Yes, young people in foster care can be cared for by a babysitter if the babysitter is not in foster care and is at least 16 years old. Background checks and CPR/First Aid are necessary for those who care for children on a regular basis.

Yes. We review your finances during the home study process to be sure that you can meet the financial needs of your family without the monthly foster care reimbursement. Exceptions apply to kinship caregivers.

The agency provides a monthly caregiver supports resource level payment to foster parents when young people experiencing foster care are placed in their home. 

Learn more about the caregiver support levels by reviewing the Caregiver Supports Resource Level Determination guide. DCYF also reimburses foster parents and kinship caregivers for some mileage and provides childcare when single parents work or both parents in two-parent homes work.

Yes! Licensing provides the greatest financial support available to kinship caregivers and a licensor who can provide support and resources. You may also qualify for some exceptions to the licensing requirements.

DCYF works with parents and provides support, new skills, resources, and services so families can reunite. Caseworkers meet with parents and guide them through their case plan.

As you think about becoming a foster parent, we encourage you to think about foster care as a system of support for families. As a foster parent, you are part of this support network and can make a difference in the life of a young person's parents, too. The way you interact with, and model positive parenting can be another support to parents.

There is not an average length of time because each situation is unique. There are lots of factors that impact how long a young person might stay in a foster home. It may be just a few days, or it could be several months or longer. Quick placement changes may occur when a kinship caregiver (relative or close family friend) is identified or if a young person experiencing foster care has a sudden change to their support needs.

Washington state's courts make decisions about the parents' case that are very important. As you learn more about foster care, you will hear more details about this process and how DCYF, courts, parents, and caregivers can partner to support families. Check out the Understanding the Dependency Court Process for Caregivers brochure for more information.

Permanency describes a young person as being a permanent, fully recognized member of a family. It includes different considerations like emotional bonds and relationships, maintaining and celebrating a young person's culture and identity, and legal protections that record how a young person is connected to family members.

In child welfare, permanency can include going home to the family a young person was removed from (reunification), staying with kin (people who are chosen family or biologically related), or finding a family through guardianship or adoption. Caseworkers work with young people and their parents to identify the best permanent plan for their situation. The permanent plan will be discussed at meetings and during monthly visits with the young person, their parents, and their caregivers.

Yes, there is a need for adoptive families. DCYF has a mission to reunify young people with their families. When that cannot occur, DCYF actively seeks to find kinship families. When young people cannot return home, and there are no kinship caregivers available, young people need families to provide permanency.

Any non-kinship person who wants to be a placement resource for young people experiencing foster care must become fully licensed. There are no Adoption-only Home Studies, all non-kinship families must complete the licensing process. Foster families interested in adoption are not required to actively foster — however we encourage this.

For a young person to be considered eligible for adoption, a court must find the young person “legally free” through either an involuntary termination of parental rights or a voluntary relinquishment. This can be a lengthy process, between 12 to 18 months. Young people must live in the adoptive family's home for a minimum of six months before an adoption can be finalized.

If you only want to adopt, you can only consider placement of young people who are legally free; or are at a high likelihood of being legally free (i.e. pending termination of parental rights hearing). Please note that if a young person needs permanency, DCYF will continue to complete family findings efforts. This search will continue while DCYF has custody of the young person. If no kin are available, DCYF will ask the current foster placement if they are willing to adopt. Once these options are exhausted, then DCYF will consider other licensed families interested in foster care.

Families are more likely to adopt if they are:

• Actively fostering
• Willing to parent a teen, sibling group, or a young person with greater needs.
• Willing to maintain connections with siblings, kin, and culture

Young people of all ages, abilities, and genders need permanent, adoptive homes. The greatest need is young people aged 8 to 18, part of a sibling set, and those who have greater emotional, developmental, behavioral, and/or medical needs. If you want to adopt a young child (0-5) and are not open to maintaining family connections or unique needs, we strongly encourage you to explore a private adoption.

DCYF does not charge to license foster parents. If you work with a Child Placing Agency, you will need to ask the agency about their fees. A full explanation of supports and services regarding adoption can be found on DCYF's Adoption Webpage.

DCYF supports foster parents and kin in different ways. Foster parents licensed directly by the Licensing Division and kin receive a contact from the Alliance CaRES after they get licensed and after they have a young person placed in their home. CaRES continues to be available and offers:

• Peer mentors
• Different types of support groups
• Community and special events
• Connection to community resources including free and discounted activities
• Guidance on training

Once a child is placed with a foster family or kin, they will be contacted by an organization that provides Caregiver Supports. A representative of the organization will work with the foster parents or kin to develop a caregiver supports plan for each young person placed with the caregiver. The plan will include support services that match the young person's support level determination and may include behavioral case aide hours.

For additional information regarding caregiver support services including a list of agencies contracted with DCYF to provide services and when those services may be available in your region visit the Caregiver Supports Project webpage.

There are other supports, too, like meetings to share feedback about your experience as a foster caregiver, caregiver appreciation events, Kinship Navigators, and more. The DCYF Foster Parenting and Kinship Care webpages provide more information.