Thank you for visiting the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) website and reading this DCYF Privacy Notice. This notice explains what DCYF does with data collected by DCYF as a result of your visit to this website. It also describes several state and federal laws that apply to the obtaining and disclosure of personally identifiable information. This description is limited to data and personally identifiable information that you might share with DCYF during the time you are accessing and using the DCYF website.
Data Collection and Use
Information that will be collected if you only browse this website.
When you browse this website DCYF will automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:
- The Internet domain and network address you use to access the DCYF site;
- The type of web browser and operating system you are using;
- The date and time of your visit;
- The pages you visit on this website;
- The last website you visited before coming to the DCYF website; and
- Other web traffic statistics such as Google Analytics or Piwik Analytics.
This information does not identify you personally. The information that is automatically collected is saved and may be used by DCYF to improve web services content and to help DCYF understand how people are using our services.
Information that will be collected if you volunteer information.
If during your visit to this website you participate in a survey and send DCYF, or one of the divisions within DCYF, an email, or perform some other online transaction, the following additional information may be collected:
- Your email address and contents of the email.
- Information volunteered in response to a survey.
- Information volunteered through an online form for any other purpose.
The collected information is not limited to text characters. The information sent by you may include, but not be limited to audio, video, and graphic information formats. The DCYF website will normally not make a request for, or collect, these types of information.
Email(s) that are sent by you to DCYF may be used to respond to issues and to further improve DCYF services. DCYF may forward your email to another agency or a vendor for appropriate action.
There are records retention schedules published by the archives division of the Washington State Office of the Secretary of State that require DCYF to keep and maintain records, including any emails sent to a valid DCYF email address . These records and emails may only be destroyed pursuant to the archives division’s retention schedule.
Personal Information
Pursuant to state and federal law, DCYF is required to protect against the wrongful disclosure of child welfare records, juvenile offender records, certain childcare records, and child education records held by DCYF.
If you have questions about how we use your personally identifiable information, you may contact DCYF as shown in the Contact Information section of this statement.
Public Access to Information
There are state and federal laws designed to encourage open government. However, the goal to encourage open government by allowing access to government records must be limited to the extent that it is necessary to protect the privacy interests of affected individuals. The laws designed to protect the privacy interest of individuals are also contained in state and federal laws.
Once it has been received, the information collected at this website becomes a public record. The information may be subject to inspection and copying by the public unless there is an exemption authorizing nondisclosure under state or federal law. RCW 42.56.070(1) says the following:
Each agency, in accordance with published rules, shall make available for public inspection and copying all public records, unless the record falls within the specific exemptions of [the Public Records Act], or other statute which exempts or prohibits disclosure of specific information or records.
If the information is exempt from disclosure, the agency must redact the exempt information in a manner consistent with chapter 42.56 RCW, including providing a brief explanation describing the basis for the redaction. If there is a conflict between this Privacy Notice and the Public Records Act, or other law governing the disclosure of records, the Public Records Act or other applicable law shall prevail.
Correcting Personally Identifiable Information
RCW 43.105.365 requires agencies that collect personally identifiable information to provide “procedures for correcting inaccurate information, including establishing mechanisms for individuals to review information about them and recommend changes in information they believe to be inaccurate.”
You may access any personally identifiable information DCYF has collected about you by using the information in the Contact Information section at the end of this Policy description. If you send DCYF a written request that clearly shows the incorrect factual information, DCYF will do its best to correct the factual error. DCYF will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.
User Tracking and Customization of Pages
To better serve DCYF’s users, DCYF uses a variety of indicators to customize your browsing experience with this website, including “cookies.” If you use your browser settings option to block all cookies in the settings to your web browser (including essential cookies), this may affect the availability and functionality of this website to your browser. DCYF only has control over indicators DCYF provides and not over any third-party tools or other technologies deployed on this website that may be created by using embedded third party applications.
A network address is assigned to your computer or mobile device whenever you are using the Internet. Network addresses can be an IP address like this: 192.168.0.11, or like: fc00:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:/7; or Ethernet addresses like: 00:00:00:FF:EE:11
Cookies are small data files stored on your hard drive or in your device memory when you visit a website. Cookies and similar technologies are widely used by websites to make them work more efficiently and to provide information to the website operator about how users are using their website. Most browsers allow you to block cookies by adjusting the “settings,” “preferences” or “internet options.” To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, please refer to your browser ‘help’ section, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s explanation on its website, or visit the Washington State privacy resources link at: Privacy.wa.gov.
Security
This Agency has taken steps to safeguard the integrity of its data and prevent unauthorized access to information maintained by DCYF. These measures are designed and intended to prevent corruption of data, block unknown or unauthorized access to DCYF systems and information, and to provide reasonable protection of information in DCYF’s possession.
Unauthorized attempts to upload, change or destroy information on this website are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under State Law (Chapter 9A.90 RCW) and federal statutes including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.
Copyright
This site contains text, artwork, photos or other content that is copyrighted by others and is being used with permission of the copyright holder. Therefore, DCYF recommends that you contact our Communications Team for permission to use any content contained on this site.
Searching
Web search results are provided by Bing.com. To view the Bing.com privacy statement please visit https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement.
The DCYF website uses the Bing API, which allows us to provide both Bing search and search results to you. Due to the specific implementation on the DCYF website, the following items referenced in the Bing Privacy Statement are not applicable:
- Bing cashback
- The Search ID cookie
- Search query sharing with third parties
Disclaimer
DCYF provides Internet links to websites of public and private organizations. When you link to this new website, you are no longer on the DCYF website and this Privacy Notice does not apply. When you link to another website, you are subject to the privacy policy of that new website.
Reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the State of Washington, DCYF, or its officers, employees, or agents.
Please be aware that DCYF does not create and maintain these sites and therefore, are not responsible for the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or security of the information presented on websites outside of DCYF.
DCYF reserves the right to revise and update this Privacy Notice at any time without notice by posting the revised Privacy Notice on the DCYF Internet site.
DCYF Contact Information
DCYF maintains this website to enhance public access to information about the department's services. While DCYF makes every effort to keep this information as timely and current as possible, errors can occur. To correct errors or offer comments about this website contact the DCYF Webmaster.
To address or ask about a privacy issue you may e-mail your comments or concerns to: