Tribal CPA Updates | June 24, 2026

Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families sent this bulletin at 06/24/2026 09:05 AM PDT

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June 24, 2026

CPA Updates

Hello Tribal Child Placing Agency (CPA) partners, 

DCYF Statement on Recent Settlement Agreement

The following is DCYF's agency statement in response to the Degross v. Senn settlement agreement:

"We are proud of the diversity of our foster parent and kinship caregiver community who have different cultures, religious beliefs, and lived experience. We are grateful that they all open their doors and provide a loving home to children and youth in foster care."

“This settlement agreement respects the religious beliefs of foster parents, while ensuring LGBTQIA+ youth are placed in an environment that is safe and supports their well-being,” said DCYF Secretary Tana Senn.

Read more for key points of the settlement.

Access to FamLink and OurKids is Changing Beginning July 2026

Soon, all users will need to use a WA.gov account, instead of a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account, to access OurKids and FamLink. FamLink users include Tribal CPAs, and OurKids users include licensed caregivers, parents, or guardians.

This change is part of Washington state’s statewide transition from SAW to WA.gov. In order to prevent any issues with access, please create a WA.gov account by July 1, 2026.

How to Set-up Your New WA.gov Account

If you use other state services (i.e. Department of Licensing or Social Security Administration services), you may already have an account. If you do not have a WA.gov account, create one at https://wa.gov/how-to-guides/create-wagov-account.

  • Use your email address as your username. This should be the same one you used to create your SAW account.
  • Create a password that you will remember.
  • You may be asked to add extra security, like two-step verification.

You will still have access to the same services. All of the information and data that is currently in OurKids and FamLink will stay the same. The only difference will be that you will use your new account in WA.gov to access these two applications instead of SAW.

Learn more about WA.gov accounts and what to expect on the WA.gov how-to page.

Thanks,

Ron Effland
Foster Care Senior Administrator