Privacy Notice

This page explains how DCYF handles the information we get from you when you visit us online. 

Children under 13

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) governs information gathering online from or about children under the age of 13 years of age or younger. Our website isn't designed for or intentionally targeted at children 13 or younger. DCYF does not intentionally collect or keep data about anyone under the age of 13 without a parent’s or guardian’s permission. 

What We Collect Automatically

Even if you don’t sign in or fill out a form, our website still picks up some basic information to help the site run better. This includes:

  • Which web browser and operating system you are using
  • The date and time you visited
  • Which pages you looked at
  • The website you were on right before you came to this one

Information You Give Us Voluntarily

If you choose to send us an email, fill out a survey, or use an online form, DCYF will collect:

  • Your email address and whatever you wrote in the message
  • Any files you send (like photos, audio, or video recordings)

We use this information to answer your questions. Please know that because DCYF is a government agency, we have to keep these emails for a certain amount of time before we are allowed to delete them. 

Personal Information

According 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, please contact DCYF (see below for contact information). 

Your Privacy and the Law

We follow strict state and federal laws to protect sensitive records, especially those involving children and families. However, Washington state also has the Public Records Act. This means that, by law, most records held by the government are “public records." If someone asks to see public records, we might have to share them. However, DCYF will always cross out (or "redact") private information (like names or date of birth) if the law says we should protect that person’s privacy. 

Checking Your Information

If you think we have incorrect information about you, you have the right to ask us to fix it. We will double-check who you are first to make sure your data stays safe, then we will do our best to correct any mistakes. 

Cookies and Tracking 

We use "cookies," which are tiny files saved on your device to make the website work better for you. You can turn cookies off in your browser settings, but some parts of the site may not work correctly if you do. 

Keeping Things Secure 

We take security seriously. We have systems in place to stop hackers from stealing or changing information. Trying to damage this website or steal data is a crime and can be punished by law.

Copyright

Some of the photos and text on this site belong to other people. If you want to use something from our site, please contact communications@dcyf.wa.gov. 

Searching

Web search results are provided by Bing.com. Please review Microsoft's Privacy Statement. Our 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

Links to Other Sites

Our website has links to other organizations. Once you click a link and leave the DCYF site, our privacy rules no longer apply. You should check the privacy policy of the new site you are visiting. 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.

Federal Disclaimer

This website is supported by Grant Number 93.667 from the Division of Social Services, Office of Community Services within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Community Services.

Contact Us 

Please let us know if you have questions or find an error on our site.