Make a difference! Join us to learn more about becoming a foster parent.
Sessions occur the first Tuesday of every Month starting Oct. 5, 2021. Sessions will cover:
- Intro to fostering, what does it mean, how to begin
- Q&A with foster parent recruiters
- Connection building with others interested in learning more
View the flyer here.
Pick the time slot that works best for your schedule.
12-1 p.m. | Register here: https://dcyf.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqcO6hqzkjHdTsxx9AFLfkDm_uTM80HeJ6
6-7 p.m. | Register here:
https://dcyf.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrceyrrzosH9xof9Ok_NYDJO9JuopSRoYo
Contact your local TRS today!
Region 1 – Carissa Stone | Carissa.Stone@dcyf.wa.gov | (509) 828-3019
Region 2 – Gabriela Mendez | Gabriela.Mendez@dcyf.wa.gov | (509) 407-7829
Region 3 – Angelia Etter | Angelia.Etter@dcyf.wa.gov | (360) 899-6769
Region 4 – John Gonzales | John.Gonzales@dcyf.wa.gov | (206) 308-6802
Region 5 – Yolonda Marzest | Yolonda.Marzest@dcyf.wa.gov | (253) 306-1311
Region 6 – Chisana White | Chisana.White@dcyf.wa.gov | (360) 787-6182
Find your region here.
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The Treehouse CARES Project pays for tutoring, school-related items, and extracurricular activities, helping to eliminate financial barriers to success in school. Benefits are available to children and youth in foster care and young adults in Extended Foster Care (EFC). Treehouse offers a list of free and paid tutoring services on their website and webinar tips for finding tutors. Caregivers and youth can find a tutor or activity that matches their needs and submit a referral to Treehouse to provide funding.
Caseworkers can also submit funding requests on a youth’s behalf or by contacting their education specialist/advocate. Below are a few more details:
- DCYF can now issue payments directly to vendors, caregivers, and EFC youth, enabling more families to work with private tutors and reduce registration/testing delays.
- There is no longer a 12-session limit for tutoring. Youth can request as much or as little tutoring as needed.
- DCYF referrals for non-EFC youth are no longer required for the CARES Project.
- Tribal caseworkers still need to submit referrals for youth under Tribal Court Jurisdiction.
Visit the Treehouse website for an extended list of what the CARES Project can pay for and to access the request form. Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis until exhausted or by Dec. 31, 2021, whichever comes sooner.
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Kinship care and suitable persons are at the heart of keeping children and youth connected to their families and community. The passage of Senate Bill 5151: Child-Specific Licensing has created an opportunity to keep children and youth with their own families and in their own culture.
Generally, the bill allows DCYF to issue a child-specific license to a relative or suitable person. That relative or person becomes licensed for the placement of a specific child and that child’s siblings in DCYF’s care, custody, and control. Family members and suitable persons must meet minimum qualifications of child-specific licensing requirements to do this.
Timeline
DCYF is having initial discussions and presentations with stakeholders. In early fall, the agency will have workshops with volunteers to develop child-specific license criteria. Once the license is developed, staff will present it to DCYF executive leadership for feedback. Feedback will then be discussed with workshop participants and stakeholders.
DCYF looks forward to collaborating with groups of stakeholders to develop the child-specific license, including:
- The Kinship Care Oversight Committee (KCOC)
- An organization that represents our current and former foster youth
- An organization that represents Community Parenting Alternatives (CPAs)
- An advisory group of foster youth and alumni
- Tribal consultation
DCYF has begun the process of presenting to stakeholders and asking members to participate in the workgroup. To date, the agency has presented to KCOC and Tribal Policy Advisory Committee (TPAC). We will continue reaching out to other stakeholder groups to schedule meetings.
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join New America’s Tara McGuinness and Hana Schank for a roundtable discussion with child welfare experts Sixto Cancel, Marina Nitze, and DCYF's Amber Salzar. The panel will discuss the urgent opportunities to reform the U.S. welfare and foster care systems, the role of public interest technologists, emerging bright spots of what works, and myriad ways that everyone can get involved in protecting some of our most vulnerable community members.
Amber Salzer is DCYF's CQI Program Manager and LGBTQIA+ Lead for the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), Licensing Division. She has worked for the organization since 2011, focusing on child welfare, foster care licensing, and kinship care.
When: Oct. 7, 2021 | 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Register here: https://events.newamerica.org/powertothepublictacklingchildw
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- DCYF is not requiring caregivers to get a COVID-19 vaccine at this time.
- We have heard caregivers’ questions and concerns about how COVID-vaccine related staff exits may impact communication with caseworkers. We encourage caregivers to continue to use the process described in the Caregivers Communication Guide to reach staff.
The Kinship Caregiver Oversight Committee meets quarterly, and provides a forum to exchange information about state policy changes, local initiatives and concerns, and to monitor, guide, and report on kinship care recommendations and implementation activities.
Staff from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Aging and Long Term Support Administration (ALTSA) and Economic Services Administration (ESA) participate in the KCOC, along with kinship caregivers, child and caregiver advocates, nonprofit service providers, tribes, and legal community representatives.
The next meeting is scheduled for:
November 18, 2021 | 1 – 4 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://dcyf.zoom.us/j/82538540976?pwd=NjdYb1FJRWVMSXFGeDZqS1VLdmM0Zz09
Meeting ID: 825 3854 0976
Passcode: 320312
The meeting will feature special speakers from Health Care Authority to talk about Coordinated Care of Washington, Apple Health Core Connections, and Medicaid broadly. There will also be update from the University of Washington on the Kinship Navigator Evaluation.
For more information, email geene.delaplane@dcyf.wa.gov.
Alliance CaRES is hosting a drop-in discussion group for caregivers that walk through grief.
The group offers a safe place for caregivers to share their experiences, offer support to fellow caregivers, and talk about strategies to navigate the grief that comes with fostering.
The group is held:
- Fridays from noon to 1 p.m.
- Zoom: 966 4600 6596
- No registration is required
This group does not offer training hours if you have any questions, email srburres@uw.edu or christa6@uw.edu.
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Adoption consortium is a service that assists caseworkers in identifying adoptive homes for youth in need of permanency. This service also provides potential adoptive families an opportunity to hear about youth in need of a permanent home, ask questions, and present themselves to the caseworkers as a potential match.
Who Can Participate?
- Any youth or sibling group in need of a permanent adoptive home. The youth does not need to be legally free to use this service but the case should be in the TPR process and must have court or parent approval for participation.
- Any licensed or adoptive family who are currently approved for placement. This includes families licensed or home-studied through a private agency.
Consortiums are held monthly via Zoom. Join us at one of our upcoming events:
- October 19, 2021 | 9 a.m. -12 p.m.
- November 16, 2021 | 9 a.m. -12 p.m.
- December 21,2021 | 9 a.m. -12 p.m.
If you are an adoptive family seeking to identify a child or youth, you can email Elisha Chambers (Elisha.Chambers@dcyf.wa.gov) and Julie Pettit (Julie.Pettit@dcyf.wa.gov) regarding your interest in presenting your family.
To learn more, view this publication.
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Honoring Indigenous and Native American History
Fair Start Kids Act - DCYF Updates
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