Group Care WAC Training FAQs

Yes. A recording of the forum will be made available on our public-facing website for future access. This initial session was an overview, but more detailed topics will be covered in future sessions.

No. There will be multiple opportunities to engage with the new content. A combination of virtual, in-person, and eLearning modules will be offered from May through December. View the training schedule. 

Yes. Participants will receive in-service hours and a certificate of completion.

We will begin coordinating dates and locations for the October in-person training sessions in early summer, likely around July. Our goal is to offer at least four sessions statewide to ensure broad accessibility.

Training materials—including recordings, presentations, and FAQs—will be posted on our website. We will also send updates via GovDelivery.

Providers will be notified via GovDelivery when the proposed WAC is available for public comment.

No. Training is not mandatory. It is being offered as a resource to support providers and is available in flexible formats to fit your schedule.

Due to limited capacity, the virtual instructor-led trainings in May are open to one participant per facility. However, we are using a train-the-trainer model, and all materials will be shareable so attendees can train others at their site.

Those trainings will be instructor-led virtual training sessions. Once we receive updated timelines, we will share the new anticipated training timeline.

DCYF is offering training, and some WACs do require staff training. However, we are not able to regulate whether new staff have completed training on the updated WACs. It is ultimately up to providers to decide how they would like to train their staff. Our agency’s goal is to support providers by making training modules available as a helpful resource.

The draft WAC shared for public comment will be close to final. While we anticipate only minor adjustments, all feedback submitted during the public comment period will be carefully reviewed and considered before finalization. We will share the final timeline once it is confirmed.

Yes. Providers will need to update internal policies, procedure and applicable forms to reflect the new WAC once it is finalized.

We’ll share this information in a future session.

All WAC numbers are changing, some were combined, and some are brand new. Every single provider will need to update policies and procedures due to this. We are working on a Policies & Procedures tool to provide some guidance on how to minimize the back and forth and provide general guidance that can be applicable to all agencies (not specific to the type of children/youth being served).

We’ll hopefully have this information in the next few weeks and will communicate it once it’s available. Before Public Comment, the plan was to file the CR-103P and post the final WACs to the Group Care NRM website in mid-September 2025 with a go live date of Jan. 1, 2026, so approximately 3.5 months before launch.

They will come from the Policies and Rules Office and we’ll work on getting them posted to the Group Care NRM website. We’ll notify providers in monthly Gov Delivery messages.

We’ll operate under the current WAC until we transition to the new WAC.

Currently, the only update we have to share is that we are moving forward with an agency request for legislation to adjust the staffing ratios for CRCs. Please note that the legislative session will not begin until mid-January 2026, and the process thereafter will be an extended one. We appreciate your continued engagement and will keep you informed as developments progress.

Licensed providers already have policies and procedures in place. Some of your policies may need to be updated to reflect the new WAC number; others may need additional information or a new policy. Licensing does not have the funds to reimburse providers to update policies and procedures. After consulting with DCYF Contracts, it was confirmed that funding to revise policies and procedures in alignment with the new licensing WAC falls outside the scope of the current contract and is therefore not available.

Updating policy and procedure is required to comply with licensing once the WACs go live. The final submission for the Policy and Procedures is due on June 1, 2026. We believe this timeline will provide your staff with enough time to collaborate with your group care licensor to finish this process.

Every program must review the updated WACs along with their license type to assess how the new WAC will impact their facility.

See current definition, see WAC 110-145-1305 interim facility, and in the new WAC, “interim facility” is defined under 110-145-2310.

You will have access shortly after Nov. 20, 2025, for the first CR-103P filing, which will include a majority of the new WAC. The final 15 WACs will be available shortly after the Policy and Rules Office files the 2nd CR-103P on March 31, 2026.

The Policy and Rules Office does not provide public comments to individuals. However, the comments received will be summarized in the Concise Explanatory Statement, which will be located on the Policy and Rules Office webpage. This will be available when the CR-103Ps are filed.

Yes, Group Receiving Centers (GRCs) are included in the updated WAC chapter.

The screening should be done initially and at the time of renewal, but not annually. Note that the new WAC is a little more stringent for medically fragile facilities. Please refer to the Washington State Department of Health for more details.

Yes, we are.

Please refer to the current WAC 110-145-1305 for more details until the new WACs go live.

There are resources/training on the Training Hub designed to support learning and application of the new rules. All personnel who have direct contact with children and youth are encouraged to take the training. However, these training courses are not mandatory, and there is no official deadline for completion. The resources/training on the training Hub are separate from the requirements of pre-service/in-service trainings outlined in WAC.

All available resources and trainings are posted on the Training Hub.

You can also navigate to the Group Care section of the DCYF website for NRM information, FAQs, and other resources.

Yes. Previously offered and recorded trainings are accessible via the Training Hub.

No. The mandatory pre-service training requirement only applies to new staff.

DCYF, contracts, and partners tied to the D.S. Settlement are finalizing the criteria and training expectations for providers. Clarification regarding the requirements for pre-service and in-service training will be offered during a Group Care Drop-In Session scheduled for early 2026.

You will receive criteria and guidance for training requirements at a Group Care Drop-in Session in early 2026.