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How to become a foster child


Become a Foster Parent | Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families

DCYF will be transitioning to an online caregiver application system. 
To ensure a smooth rollout,
DCYF is pausing new foster parent applications from Nov. 1, 2022 - Mar. 1, 2023.
This does not apply to kinship applications, license renewals, and those getting licensed through a child placing agency. 

Have you been thinking about or planning to become a foster parent?  If so, we’re ready to help you with the next step in your journey.

By becoming a foster parent, you provide children and youth with a safe, loving, temporary home and make it possible for them to stay in the same school, participate in familiar activities, and stay connected to their parents and siblings.

If you think fostering may be right for you, please contact us!  We will tell you more about becoming a foster parent and provide information about training, getting licensed, and the support we provide throughout a caregiver’s experience as a foster parent.

  • If you’d like someone to email you about fostering, complete the inquiry form and a member of the CaRES team will email you within 48 business hours. 
  • If you’d like to talk to someone about fostering, call 1-888-KIDS-414.
  • If you’d like to read more information about fostering, check out our Becoming a Foster Parent FAQ or read the information below.

If at any time you have a question, we encourage you to contact the CaRES team who can address your question and provide support.

Introduction

What is foster care?

Foster care is a safe, loving, temporary home for children who must live away from their family due to abuse or neglect. Children and youth who enter foster care come from culturally diverse families, communities and backgrounds. The goal of foster care is to safely reunite children with their birth families whenever possible. 

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) seeks prospective foster parents who can:
  • provide daily care and support for each child, based on his or her unique needs,
  • work in partnership with DCYF as part of the child’s team, and
  • become prepared through on-going training to gain greater skill in meeting the diverse needs of children who enter foster care.
What is the role of a foster parent?

Foster parents help support families in a time of crisis. They work as a team with the child’s case worker; they are dedicated to protecting children and, offering hope to each child’s family.  Their impact reaches far beyond the child in their care; they provide a positive influence across the community.  They love, coach, mentor, wipe tears, celebrate, support and encourage the child in their home. Foster parenting is filled with both challenges and opportunities. It can be challenging to parent children who come with difficult histories. Becoming a foster parent is an opportunity to care for children who can benefit greatly from your love and support. 

As a foster parent you can make a difference for a child in your community by changing lives one child at a time. Foster parents believe in investing in the future of our children. If you think foster parenting might be right for you and your family, please read more about becoming a foster parent in Washington.

Whether you are married, single, gay or straight, divorced or widowed; if you live in an apartment or a house; have a stay-at-home partner or not; you can be a foster parent. The state provides financial reimbursement for the cost of caring for foster children.  We hope you are ready to learn more about becoming a foster family.  Washington’s foster parent recruitment phone line:  1-888-KIDS-414, provides information and can answer your questions – take a minute to call, because you don’t know what you’re missing! 

Are you ready to begin the process now?  Please complete our questionnaire about becoming a foster parent – you will receive a personal contact within 2 business days.

Who are the Children in Foster Care

Children in foster care come from a variety of diverse backgrounds, ethnic and cultural populations and each child has unique strengths and needs.  They have been temporarily separated from their families while the Department of Children, Youth, and Families works with their family to safely return them home whenever possible.

Children range in age from birth to age 21 years. Many have brothers or sisters in foster care with them. Most have experienced abuse or neglect. Some children have special needs; they may be physically, behaviorally, mentally or emotionally challenged. Some may need foster parents with special caregiving skills due to their physical health issues or developmental delays. Infants may be medically fragile and some children have challenges due to a parent’s prior drug or alcohol abuse.

All foster children are affected by the separation from their family. Sometimes this stress and worry shows up in their behavior. Some children have not experienced the usual routines of family life and need extra understanding and patience.

Children enter foster care through no fault of their own. However, children or youth who have faced trauma sometimes have learned behaviors to keep themselves safe, or to meet their needs in other ways. Foster parents offer a loving and nurturing home where each child can feel safe and is celebrated for his or her unique gifts.       

When you become a foster parent, you become part of a team that is dedicated to protecting children, supporting families, and helping young people develop their fullest potential. Foster care is all about teamwork.

Licensing Requirements

What is Foster Care and How Can I Become Licensed?

Foster care is designed to be a temporary living situation for children and youth who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or the death of their caregivers. A safe return home is the primary goal.

Foster families bring children into their homes and hearts, creating a safe and secure place to grow until reunification. For some children, an alternative permanent home must be found.

To be considered for a foster care license, applicants who are not related to the child must:

  • Be at least 21 years of age.
  • Have sufficient income to support themselves without relying on foster care payments.
  • Discipline children in a positive manner without the use of physical punishment.
  • Provide supervision appropriate to the age or specific behavior of the child as outlined by the social worker.
  • Complete training:
    • Caregiver Core Training
    • First Aid/CPR, Blood Borne Pathogens

Any adult living in a potential foster home must:

  • Complete a background clearance check with the FBI and Washington State Patrol.
  • Submit Tuberculosis (TB) Screening.

Youth ages 16 to 18 in the household must complete a Washington State Patrol check.

Washington State laws about foster home licensing are covered by the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). You can review the foster parenting WACs on our Guidelines, Laws & Rules page.

Go to our licensing requirements page to learn more about getting licensed

What to Expect

DCYF values our kinship and licensed caregivers and all they do to support the health, safety, and wellbeing of the children in their care. We are committed to actively supporting both prospective and current caregivers. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 impacts, DCYF is currently in between service providers who would traditionally be able to provide individual support and guidance to caregivers. We are hoping this can be resolved soon and there will only be a temporary gap in services available. However, we are still here for you! Our offices are fully operational and staff will do their best to assist you with any questions or concerns.

If you haven’t already signed up for our Caregiver Connection e-mail service, please do so and receive updates, resources, and important notifications.

Sign up for Caregiver Connection email service

If you are a licensed foster parent and have a question or concern with the Licensing Division, please:
  • Contact your licensor
  • If you are unable to resolve your question/concern contact the supervisor or area administrator

Go to the Employee Directory

If you are a licensed foster parent or kinship caregiver and you have a question or concern related to a child you are caring for:
  • Contact the child’s assigned caseworker
  • If you are unable to resolve your question/concern contact the supervisor or area administrator

Go to the Employee Directory

Rewards

You can expect many personal rewards such as:

  • Protecting children from harm.
  • Making a difference in a child's life.
  • Helping children feel good about themselves.
  • Learning and using new skills.
Length of Stay

A child may live with you for a few days, several months, or a year or more. Some prospective foster parents choose to become licensed only to provide Respite Care, which offers a child’s foster parent the opportunity to take a break from caregiving responsibilities.  The amount of time a child will stay in your home depends on the birth family’s situation.  When a child is placed in out-of-home care, the social workers at DCYF don’t know how long the child will stay in your home.  The Court decides when a child will be reunited, or placed through another permanent plan.

DCYF makes every effort to reunite parents and children. Also, by federal law, DCYF must make significant efforts to search for each child’s relatives. DCYF prioritizes placement of children with their relatives whenever possible; you may have a child placed with you while we continue to search for a relative family.

Many foster parents grow close to the children placed in their care. When a child leaves your home, it can be hard on the entire foster family. If the parents are not able to successfully re-unite with their child, and their parental rights are terminated by the court, the foster child becomes “legally free”. If relatives have not been found who can adopt the child, we will ask if the foster parents would want to adopt the child(ren).  Foster parents can - and many do, adopt children that come into their lives through the foster care program.

Financial Assistance

While foster parents must have a regular source of income to meet their families' needs, financial assistance is available to help with the costs of caring for a foster child.

Foster Care Reimbursement

Foster care maintenance payments are intended to assist licensed foster parents in meeting the needs of the foster child in their care.  A basic rate payment (Level 1) is paid to all foster parents for costs related to food, clothing, shelter, and personal incidentals. In addition, there are three levels of supplemental payments (Levels 2, 3 and 4) which are paid to foster parents who care for children with varying degrees of physical, mental, behavioral or emotional conditions that require increased effort, care or supervision that are above the needs of a typically developing child.

AGE OF CHILD BASIC LEVEL II
(includes Basic Rate)		 LEVEL III
(includes Basic Rate)		 LEVEL IV
(includes Basic Rate)
0 to 5 years $672.00 $849.92 $1,195.51 $1474.30
6 to 11 Years $796.00 $973.92 $1319.51 $1598. 30
12 & Older $810.00 $987.92 $1333.51 $1612.30

Foster Care Maintenance Payments Fact Sheet

Child Care Costs

Payment for child care during a foster parent’s work hours is available for caregivers with part time or full time employment.  If the family is a two parent caregiver family, child care is covered when  both parents are employed and working out of the home simultaneously leaving no caregiver at home to care for the child. 

Medical and Dental

Every foster child receives medical and dental coverage while in foster care.

Clothing Vouchers for Children in Out of Home Care (Licensed and Un-Licensed)

$200 clothing vouchers will be authorized for children placed by DCYF at initial placement whether the child is placed in a licensed foster home or with an unlicensed caregiver.   Additional clothing vouchers up to $200 may be authorized, not to exceed one time per year after initial placement, when there is an exceptional clothing need. Examples of an exceptional need include: 

  • the child’s clothing has been destroyed
  • the child has had significant growth spurt
  • the child has a medical condition that requires additional clothing.

Exceptional clothing needs can be approved if there is no other local community resources available and the need cannot be met through the clothing allowance provided in the monthly foster care payment (for those licensed). (See above)

Foster Parent Reimbursement & Liability Plans

Foster Parent Reimbursement & Liability Plans - Provides some relief to foster parents for property damage, losses, emergency medical treatment, caused by their foster children or children in respite care. These plans also provide coverage for payment to third parties resulting from an act by the foster child.

Options for Getting Licensed

You can chose to work with State Licensing or a Child Placing Agency. 

Path Toward Licensure 
  • There is no right or wrong path. 
  • All paths lead to the same place - caring for children and youth experiencing foster care. 
  • Consider all options and the best fit for your family. 

DCYF’s Licensing Division oversees the certification of all licenses, whether State or CPA

State Licensing 
  • Work directly with the local Licensing Division 
  • Foster families make placement decisions independently 
  • Foster parents work directly with DCYF staff 
  • Self-advocate for specific needs, services, and resources 
Child Placing Agency 
  • Work directly with a local private agency 
  • CPA and caregiver coordinate placement decisions 
  • CPA provides advocacy for family and child needs, services, and resources 
  • Services provided or coordinated by agency 
  • Families receive individualized support and case management from the CPA
     
Child Placement Agency Contact Lists
  • Region 1
  • Region 2
  • Region 3
  • Region 4
  • Region 5
  • Region 6
What region am I in?

DCYF Regional Map

When You’re Ready to Submit Your Complete Licensing Application

How to become a Foster Parent

How do I become a KidsPeace foster parent?

The application process involves five or six conveniently scheduled visits to your home over a 10 to 12 week period of time. Staff members gather paperwork, interview all family members, inspect the home for safety and fully explain the responsibilities of foster parenting. Our careful screening process helps you determine whether or not foster parenting is right for you, and, if yes, helps us match just the right child to your home.

What qualities should I posses to become a foster parent?

Generally, our most successful foster parents are open-minded, dependable, patient, and willing, to learn new parenting styles for children with different needs. Having a flexible schedule, being tolerant of change, and demonstrating the ability to follow our guidelines are all important qualities for success.

Do I need any special training or a special foster parenting license?

Yes, in some states, you will be required to be licensed, and in other states, you’ll just need special training. In either case, we’ll provide everything you will need, including: orientation to the program, ongoing trainings, regular in-person support, twenty-four hour on-call support availability and other tools to help you learn and develop your skills along the way.

How long will a child stay in my home?

This varies depending on the needs of the child and the circumstances of his or her placement. Some children are returned home after only a few months; others after a year or so. Sometimes, children who can’t go home become eligible for adoption; others remain in foster care until age 18.

Where will my foster child come from?

Children are placed through child protective agencies across your state. They may enter your home directly from their family of origin’s home, another foster home or from a more restrictive setting such as a residential facility.

what kinds of kids will you place in my home?

When it comes to foster children, one size does not fit all. There’s no typical foster child: some kids are stepping down from residential treatment; some have developmental delays; some have suffered unspeakable abuse; some have never been required to follow the rules of society; some have built walls around themselves to keep out the hurt; and some have lost their beloved homes and families. Most will undergo counseling and therapy while in foster care. It won’t be easy to help a child who has known such pain and upheaval, but we’ll train you extensively on how to handle the specific needs of your foster child.

Must I take any child you place with me?

No. Before placement, KidsPeace will present you with available information about the child we believe “matches” with your household. You may request additional information, and you may always accept or reject a child’s placement. Saying “no” does not affect our willingness to call you about other children in the future. We respect your right to do what you think is best for your family.

Will I get to meet the child before he or she moves in with me?

Sometimes. If time allows, we try to arrange pre-placement visits so you can meet ahead of time. In many cases, however, a child’s need for a foster home is urgent, and you won’t be able to meet your foster child until he or she arrives at your door.

Do you offer financial compensation?

Yes, KidsPeace provides compensation to cover room and board costs of foster children. Your local office can explain the current rate structure and payment system. This money is provided to cover such expenses as food, clothing, shelter, transportation, recreation and allowance, and should not be considered income. You will not be responsible for your foster child’s medical costs. KidsPeace does not have a minimum income requirement. However, your income must be earned and should be sufficient to meet the financial needs of your family.

How will my own children be affected by my foster children?

All children are influenced by the behaviors and attitudes of other people, whether these individuals are friends at school, neighbors, or foster children. If your children understand your expectations and have a sense of appropriate behavior and values, it is unlikely that they will be adversely affected.

Do foster children need their own bedrooms?

No. Children of the same sex are permitted to share bedrooms provided that the foster child has space for personal belongings and opportunities for privacy. Children are not allowed to share the same bed. The bedroom designated for the foster child must have a door for privacy and a window to allow for ventilation and a second means of escape in case of emergency.

Where and when do children visit with their families of origin?

When the goal is to eventually reunite the family, visits are crucial to help the child maintain a sense of belonging and identity. Visitation schedules vary and may be scheduled once a week or once or twice a month. You’ll be asked to transport the child to visits, which are generally held in a supervised office setting.

What kind of help and support will I get?

KidsPeace has an impeccable reputation for the support we provide our foster children and families. We maintain frequent, consistent contact, and we’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days per year to support and guide you.

What if I'm overwhelmed or I can't handle my foster child's problem?

So that you don’t get overwhelmed, we provide respite care, both on a regular schedule and on an emergency basis. At KidsPeace, we recognize that sometimes placements fail despite everyone’s best efforts. If the situation becomes unworkable, we will move the child to another home.

What forms of discipline am I allowed to enforce?

Your current parenting style will determine how much of an adjustment you will need to make to follow our guidelines. Our policies and guidelines are designed to protect both you and your foster children. We only allow appropriate, non-physical methods of discipline, such as removing privileges, giving “time outs” and using rewards, encouragement and praise for good behavior. Some of our discipline rules:

  • NO physical punishment
  • NO withholding meals, clothing, or shelter
  • NO verbal abuse or name-calling
  • NO threats to have a child removed
  • NO physically strenuous work or exercise solely for punishment
  • NO allowing other children to punish the foster child

Do children ever become available for adoption?

Yes. Sometimes, for various reasons, children are unable to return home and may have a court-ordered goal of adoption. Foster families are always given adoption consideration when a child in their home needs a permanent family.

How to be a parent to an adopted child

The opinion to adopt or not to adopt a child is influenced by many factors, including all sorts of myths about foster children. But if you still decide to give a family to a child from an orphanage, in no case give up.

In our modern society, opinions about adopted children vary. Someone says that the nature of the unborn child is 90% dependent on heredity, so you need to carefully “choose” the child or use the services of a surrogate mother. Someone says that the right upbringing can radically change the predisposition of the child if, for example, his parents were alcoholics. Both are right: of course, heredity plays a big role, but a negative situation can be completely solved by targeted educational methods (which will differ in each specific situation).

The task of foster parents is to learn once and for all a simple rule: a child from a foster family must be treated as if he had always been in the family. It is necessary to realize that there is no difference between a child from a foster family and a child born in a family. Moreover, it is not just to talk about it every time, but to accept it and successfully forget it. Expressions and thoughts like “he’s adopted”, “he will soon adapt”, “we need to give him more than everyone else” or “all the best to him, because he has already suffered so much” should disappear. Your number one task is to make his life ordinary, normal from the point of view of the average child of his age. If you are going to become a parent of a foster child, you need to find out how modern children live, what interests them, what is already old and does not suit them. Learn about this from the children of your friends, relatives, read articles on social networks and special sites.

The most difficult moment in adoption is the first period of adaptation of the child in the family. Of course, depending on the age of the child, the tactics of interaction between parents and children will differ, but there is a certain set of tips that will help you go through the initial stage of adoption almost painlessly for both parties:

  1. Try to talk less with your relatives and friends about what your adopted baby. Speak of him more often as a permanent member of the family and in no case celebrate the “day of adoption” as a second birthday: conventionally, your child has been with you since birth.
  2. Don't try to give your child a huge amount of time. Excess of attention makes the child feel somehow special in a bad sense of the word. Just make it clear that it is important to you, but do not push if the child at some point just wants to play alone, and not with you. The need for personal space is formed very early.
  3. Raise your child by example. Unfortunately, many children from orphanages have experienced a lot of stressful situations and rarely believe the words of adults (too often adults did not keep their promises), so your task is to become who you would like your child to be in the future. After all, you can not scold for smoking with a cigarette in your hand?
  4. If there is another child or several children in your family, then try to pay attention to each of them equally. The child should have the impression of absolute involvement and equality in your family.
  5. Do not expect gratitude for taking the child under your care and in no case hint at it. The child did not ask you to adopt, you made the choice yourself.
  6. Strive to find out why your child speaks, expresses his feelings and thinks the way he does. This way you can get to know him better and help if necessary.
  7. If the child has his own room, then let him participate in its design. Also buy something for the room that will symbolically unite you into one family (for example, the first joint photo, a new photo album, a notepad with wishes for the night, etc.)
  8. Try to focus on the positive qualities of the baby. This will give him more strength and confidence.
  9. "Give" the child a tactile contact. It is very important to hug the baby, stroke the head, kiss. Do this daily and the result will not be long in coming.
  10. Ask your child for advice and thereby show that he is important to you, and you take into account his opinion. He is already a member of the family and his preferences are taken into account by everyone.
  11. Find out from the child himself or from the orphanage about what he is really interested in. If he loves animals, take him horseback riding. If you swim, then go to the water park. Try to make his interest a family interest.
  12. Instill a love of books and take together various educational moments from literary works. You can, for example, read a book together and discuss it in the evenings or weekends.
  13. Discuss showing feelings and the fact that the child may come to you with a problem. Talk about what is important for you to know that he is happy.
  14. Be sure to make country trips and hikes with your family or several family friends. Hike as no action brings together and allows you to establish contact.
  15. Be sure to talk about the values ​​and traditions of your family. What is accepted, what is not accepted, what holidays are celebrated and how. Show all relatives (up to great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers) in the photographs so that the child feels like a part of this huge family. Remember to use phrases like “And that grandfather of yours was….” or “And here is your great-grandmother…”.

Be simple, be confident, don't lie, give all your love and the child will certainly reciprocate.

Dmitry Kagalnikov

6 skills you need to master before becoming a foster parent

Thousands of children need a safe home. Unfortunately, there are far fewer families willing to become guardians than required. You can help by adopting a child. Opening your home and your heart to a child is exactly what children need. But before you decide to adopt a foster child, make sure you're prepared for the challenges (and joys) ahead.

To help you prepare, we've compiled a list of the key criteria and skills you need to be a successful foster parent. While adopting a child and making sure you're ready takes a lot more than that, this list is a good starting point.

Honest self-assessment

Most families spend two or three years considering this step before taking custody of a child. Here are a few things to consider before making the final decision on whether to adopt a child.

  • If you have children, it is important to prepare them for the fact that another child will appear in the family. All members of your immediate family should agree with this decision, because the addition to the family, even if temporary, will change the natural course of things in your home.
  • Know that not all of your family and friends will support your decision to become a foster family.
  • Perhaps you want to adopt a child, but you feel that now is simply not the right time. Work on any missing skills or other obstacles right now to prepare yourself and your family.
  • There are several restrictions on who can become a foster parent. Review the laws to make sure your family and home comply with the formal requirements of the law.
  • There are many skills that successful foster parents need to master, such as patience and goodbye.
  • Understand that parenting can and will affect your marriage, but a healthy dose of humor can ease stressful situations.
  • Understand that giving custody will affect your children, but careful preparation and consideration for the children you adopt will help.

If, after some analysis, you decide that guardianship is not for you, there are other ways to support foster children and other foster parents.

Effective Communication

As a caregiver, you will interact with many people and need to be able to listen, share your point of view, and protect your adopted child, yourself, and the rest of your family. A list of people you might need to be prepared to talk to might include:

  • Doctors
  • Judges and other personnel of the judiciary
  • Most importantly, the child himself
  • Other caregivers
  • Social workers and employees of other authorities
  • Teachers and other representatives of the school
  • Biological family
  • Psychotherapists
  • Your family and friends who may not understand your role as a foster parent

Ability to take on a challenge

Children in foster care are often abused and neglected. A traumatized child may use challenging behavior as a way to communicate and overcome difficulties. To top it all off, there can be many questions about the guardianship system, and the system can be difficult to navigate for both the foster child and the guardian.

  • Think about how your first day with a foster child will be in your home and how you will experience your new role as a foster parent. Know that your adopted child will need time to adjust and feel safe and comfortable in your family.
  • Think about the age, gender, and behaviors that are most appropriate for your home and family.
  • Be aware that one of the biggest challenges in working with a foster child can be the frustration of working with a system that is unlikely to provide all the support the child (or your family) would benefit from. The guardianship system is also notorious for being mired in bureaucracy.

Positive Parenting and Conflict Resolution

You will need a fully equipped positive parenting skill set. Know that children are behaving in the best possible way. Your adopted child will need your love and support, as well as your guidance, as he may test your patience and challenge your rules. The willingness to deal with conflict is the key to successful foster parenting.

Understand that because of past abuse and neglect of children in foster care, corporal punishment is never allowed. If a disciplinary method causes physical discomfort—such as spanking, food deprivation, push-ups, or standing in a corner—that's not normal.

  • It is also vital for adoptive parents to keep their cool. Like all children, foster children can go overboard, especially during times of stress, such as when they first enter your home.
  • Remember that your job as a foster parent is to create affection. Physical parenting undermines the bond you are trying to create. More importantly, your adopted child needs to feel safe and supported, both physically and emotionally.
  • Understand that learning about the causes of child abuse and the risk factors that play a role in trauma can be important in managing foster child behavior.

Compassion

Often, grief and the loss of a child (grieving the loss of home and family, and past abuse) can lead to defiant behavior. Always be kind—to your adopted child and to yourself. Understand that grief or a child's negative behavior can make you feel negative. Now that the child is in the safe environment of your home, he may have many complex emotions that he can finally express. Know that any challenging behavior is most likely not about you, and show compassion for the difficulties your foster child has experienced.

  • Grief is very personal and each child will go through grief at their own pace. It is important to understand the process of grief and loss in children so that you can better meet their needs.
  • Part of the job of the adoptive parent is to help the child cope with their loss and to teach and model effective coping strategies.
  • There are several factors that can affect the grief of an adopted child. The duration or depth of grief may depend on the type of injury and the child's developmental age.

Respect the courage of your adopted child and seek to cooperate with him so that he will succeed and thrive in your home.

Collaboration

As a foster parent, you will work with a variety of professionals to help support your foster child. This collaboration goes hand in hand with effective communication, but being a good team member isn't everything.