Kinship Licensing Standards Project | Listening & Learning Sessions
The Kinship Licensing Standards Project is offering Listening and Learning Sessions. Each session will provide you with the foundational knowledge you'll need to implement the new Kinship Standards and will reduce the time needed for training before June 30, 2025.
Sessions will begin in January and will occur on the last Tuesday of each month. Each session will be an hour to an hour and a half long beginning at 2 p.m. Each session will feature different topics related to the project and include guest speakers. A recording will be available on the Child Placing Agencies webpage for those unable to attend.
Monthly Themes:
January – Harm of Removal and Kinship as a mitigating factor
February – The New Kinship WAC chapter
March – The New Kinship home study and reassessment process
April – WA CAP and forms changes with the Kinship license and maintenance and renewal
May – New Kinship license impacts on Assessment, Safety and Monitoring, and Regional Licensing
June – New Kinship WAC Go Live, June 30, 2025
Learn more by visiting the New Licensing Standards for Kinship Caregivers webpage or by contacting the project team by emailing dcyf.kinshipfeedback@dcyf.wa.gov.
Kudos to Bremerton ICW Social Worker, Zenobia Contreras
By Region 5 Tribal Liaison, Kelly Linscott
Zenobia’s Supervisor, Kelsey Stephens, shared with me that Zenobia has continued to go above and beyond serving a family on her caseload. Mom was struggling to get to treatment and was suffering with long term addiction. She had no stable housing as she had been living with her son’s father, who was abusive; Mom did not have many resources but believed that she had heritage with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. However, she was unsure and not connected. Through Native American Inquiry Requests (NAIR) research, it was found that both mom and son were eligible for enrollment in the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.
Zenobia has been working with this case just since August but has been diligent in offering active efforts: providing mom phones, transportation to treatment and visits, coordinating with the Tribe and even working closely with a Detox facility to get mom seen on the same day when previous efforts to get her into detox kept failing. Zenobia’s unit stepped in to facilitate mom’s transfer to treatment, providing support for the transfer and transportation when Zenobia was out of the county. Mom has since detoxed and is thriving in treatment. She is connected to her son’s caregiver and is participating in health care and visits with her son.
Zenobia’s good work has connected mom to her Tribe and both she and her son are in the process of enrolling. Zenobia consults with the Tribe weekly and coordinates monthly meetings. Through these connections, the Tribe is working on housing for mom and her son as well as mom’s sister and her sister’s child. The plan is that this extended family unit will be living together on Tribal land when mom’s treatment is completed.
Zenobia says: "None of this would have been possible without the support of her supervisor, Kelsey, and my unit.”
Great job, Zenobia, and the Bremerton ICW Unit!
Interest Survey for Potential ECEAP Contractors
DCYF is releasing an Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) Interest Survey for prospective contractors. The purpose of the survey is to gather information regarding ECEAP needs and challenges in 2025-26. Responses will help us to better understand the early learning landscape in Washington. This interest survey will also help you better understand ECEAP requirements and self-assess your readiness to contract with DCYF to deliver ECEAP services.
If you feel you will be ready to serve ECEAP children and families in the coming year, this survey also provides an opportunity for you to estimate your need for ECEAP slots for School Year 2025-26. If you have questions or concerns, please send them to dcyf.eceap@dcyf.wa.gov.
2025 Child Care Complex Needs Fund
The 2025 Child Care Complex Needs Fund application is now available. Eligible licensed, certified, and certified-for-payment-only child care providers and eligible license-exempt Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) providers can apply for the Child Care Complex Needs Fund in the WA Compass Provider Portal. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. PST on March 5, 2025.
Visit DCYF's Child Care Complex Needs Fund webpage for more information.
Comprehensive Qualified Expert Witness (QEW) Training
This 2-day virtual training is intended to give participants the information they need to provide Qualified Expert Witness (QEW) testimony in DCYF Indian Child Welfare cases. Participants will review two precedent-setting cases for Washington state and understand how QEW testimony can impact court cases. This training is comprised of 9.5 hours of group learning, including 3.5 hours of simulation for court testimony.
Training Dates:
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Feb. 5-6, 2025 | Virtual
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April 15-16, 2025 | Virtual
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June 11-12, 2025 | Virtual
To register:
For questions, contact Sarah Lewis at szlewis@uw.edu or visit OTR Training webpage.
If you have questions, or require an alternate format for this information, need language interpretation services, or need another accommodation or modification to participate in this event, please email dcyf.tribalrelations@dcyf.wa.gov.
Positive Indian Parenting | Train-the-Trainer
DCYF is offering Positive Indian Parenting (PIP) Train-the-Trainer trainings at no cost. Trainings are designed to prepare facilitators to educate and support Native parents using a culturally specific approach.
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March 3-6, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Virtual Training
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May 20-22, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | In-Person Training
Visit OTR's Training webpage for training details and to register or download our Training Flyer.
If you have questions, or require an alternate format for this information, need language interpretation services, or need another accommodation or modification to participate in this event, please contact Shannel.Squally-Janzen@dcyf.wa.gov.
Supporting the Well-Being of Indigenous Mothers & Babies | Webinar
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is hosting a webinar, Supporting the Well-Being of Indigenous Mothers and Babies with a Culturally Affirming Evidence-Based Program, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET on Feb. 11, 2025. Visit Annie E. Casey Foundation for information and to register.
Family Success Parenting Conference
May 2 - 4, 2025
Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, WA
Family Success NW proudly presents their inaugural conference—a gathering of parents, caregivers, and allies dedicated to supporting trauma-impacted children. Pre-register for the conference and receive early access to the discounted hotel room. Visit Family Success Northwest for more information.
Athletes As Leaders & Coaching Boys Into Men | Train the Trainer
Feb. 13, 2025 | 4:30 to 8 p.m.
T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
Are you a coach, athletic director or administrator who would like to learn how to implement two evidence-based curricula: Athletes As Leaders and Coaching Boys Into Men? Join Team Up Washington at T-Mobile Park for two hours of certified (OSPI) coaches training in these high-quality violence prevention leadership development programs. Visit Team Up Washington for information.
Working at the Intersection of Housing Insecurity/Homelessness & Human Trafficking | Webinar
Jan. 29, 2025 | 1 to 2:30 p.m. MT
Access to safe housing for individuals experiencing gender-based violence is challenging on multiple levels. For individuals experiencing human trafficking, access to immediate emergency shelter, transitional, and long-term housing is almost non-existent. This webinar will uplift the work of the Pathfinder Center, located in Central South Dakota. They will present the housing needs of survivors, what works, how their work is different from domestic violence and sexual violence shelters, and why it is different.
Visit Webinar Registration to register.
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2025 Children’s Justice Conference Cancelled
Due to the current budget and travel constraints, the 30th Annual Children’s Justice Conference (CJC) on May 6 and 7, 2025 has been cancelled. Updates on these efforts and the 2026 CJC will be shared via email and on our website in the coming months.
Communications Manager/National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA)
Position closes: Feb. 21, 2025
Apply online: Communications-Manager-Vacancy-Announcement-2025.pdf
Child Welfare Director/National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA)
Position closes: Feb. 28, 2025
Apply online: Child-Welfare-Director-Vacancy-Announcement-2025.pdf
Native Education Liaison/Hoquiam School District No. 28
Open Until Filled
Apply online: Native Ed Liaison - Hoquiam School District
Caseworker/Suquamish Tribe [two positions available]
Positions close: Feb. 7, 2025
Apply online: Suquamish Tribes job openings
Seattle's Native Youth Olympics Team
Join Seattle's Native Youth Olympics team! Sign up for the upcoming Jan. 20 NYO Day Camp and practices. All ages and welcome; under 7 welcome with a caregiver. Youth grades 6th-12th may be eligible to travel to the 2025 Traditional Games in Juneau, Alaska on April 4-6. Sponsored by Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Visit Seattle Native Youth Olympics Registration for information and to register.
Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress
Youth are encouraged to apply for the Native Youth Community Adaptation Leadership Congress. This unique opportunity is open to federally recognized Native American and Indigenous youth groups interested in making environmental and social changes in their community. Interested high school students must fill out an online application. The deadline is Feb. 28, 2025.
Children of the River Child Advocacy Center | Puyallup Tribe of Indians
The Children's Advocacy Center provides culturally relevant services and counseling and is a safe space for children or elders who are victims of a crime. The center also provides trainings to Tribal employees and the community around child abuse and neglect. Visit Children of the River Child Advocacy Center | Puyallup Tribe for more information.
Lead & Copper Testing for Drinking Water
Did you know child care and early learning providers are required to test for lead and copper in their drinking water before licensing and every six years after that? The Washington State Department of Health offers free mail-in lead and copper testing for drinking and cooking water. Fill out the Registration Form to register for this free program or visit Washington State Department of Health for information.
*NEW* For Our Lives Youth Toolkit
For Our Lives is an educational health campaign that informs and educates Tribal communities about opioid misuse prevention, overdose response, and treatment.
January is National Human Trafficking & Stalking Awareness Month
This January, NIWRC joins millions nationwide in raising awareness during National Human Trafficking and Stalking Awareness Month. American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians face some of the highest rates of trafficking and stalking in the U.S. We amplify the voices of survivors, Tribal Nations, and grassroots advocates in the fight for safety, sovereignty, and justice.
Did you know?
- 1 out of 2 Native women (and 1 out of 10 Native men) are stalked in their lifetime.
- AI/AN women have experienced significantly higher levels of stalking (48.8 percent versus 18.6 percent for men).
- Native 2S+/LGBTQ+ experience higher poverty and homelessness rates, making this community more vulnerable to stalking and trafficking.
Learn more by visiting NIWRC.
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