Background

Phase two of the Caregiver Supports Project is the implementation of Caregiver Supports Contracts to provide placement support services to all caregivers. The Caregiver Supports Contracts were awarded through a bidding process. The contracts rolled out according to an implementation and funding plan approved by Washington State Legislature.

Watch this video to learn more.  

Project Updates

DCYF is pleased to share assignment of service providers to the final catchment areas across the State. Caregiver Support services will be available statewide by mid-2026! More information is available under the ‘Catchment Area Providers by Location’ section below. 

Caregiver Support Types 

All caregivers have two different resources available for support:

1. A local Caregiver Supports catchment Contractor (you'll find all important information on this page)
2. Alliance Caregiver Retention, Education, and Support (CaRES) program.

Both services support caregiver longevity by providing placement supports and resources. Caregiver Supports are tied to a young person being placed in your home and are based on the young person’s support level. CaRES is available at all points in a caregivers’ fostering journey, and the same resources are available before, during, and after placement.

Behavioral Case Aide Hours

DCYF Caregivers who accept placement of children and youth whose support level are between 3 and 7, will have access to pre-authorized Behavioral Case Aide hours. The type and level of support each caregiver gets is based on the child’s documented Caregiver Supports Resource Level. The level is decided on when a child or youth enters foster care. The breakdown of Behavioral Case Aide hours per month shown in the table:

​What does support look like?

• Education advocacy
• Coordinating medical and health related appointments 
• Child care support
• Care that is appropriate for children and youth’s culture and stage of development
• Ways to support children as they become adults
• Creating strategies to manage behavioral health
• Help during crisis and emergencies
• Pre-authorized Case Aide hours for children with a support level of 3 to 7

When will supports be available in my area?

DCYF will award one Caregiver Supports Contract per catchment area.

Tribes have three options: 

• Serve their own children
• Have the area provider serve their children
• Choose not to use services 

The current implementation schedule is below. 

Catchment Area Providers by Location

What are contractors required to do?

• Outreach to caregivers following placement of DCYF youth.
• Creation of a Caregiver Support Plan (CSP) within 60 days of outreach. This includes working with people the caregiver picked as support persons. This plan is updated every three months.
• Ongoing and on-call placement support services.

Note: Contractors must give the completed plan to the assigned DCYF Caseworker to file for case records.