Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Licensing Division. An entity defined as an agency must be licensed by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to accept children for supervision or care, or arrange for their placement in foster care or with adoptive families.  Examples of agencies subject to DCYF licensure include child care businesses, child placing agencies, foster homes, and group care facilities, among others.

Foster Care Licensing. A foster home license is issued for a period of three years and may be renewed at the end of that period. Certain individuals and entities are exempt from licensure requirements, including physicians and lawyers.

DCYF may issue a child-specific license to a relative or suitable person, both defined in statute, who opts to become licensed for the placement of a specific child and that child's siblings or relatives in DCYF's custody, care or control, or to an Indian child's family or extended family members who opts to become licensed for the placement of a specific Indian child and that child's siblings or relatives in the custody of an Indian tribe or the tribe's child placing agency.

All out-of-home care providers licensed by DCYF shall receive training related to blood-borne pathogens.

Foster home licenses specify the category of care the agency is authorized to provide and the ages, sex and number of persons to be served.

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is a uniform law enacted in all 50 states. It establishes procedures for the interstate placement of children and responsibilities for those involved in placing a child.  The placements covered by the ICPC include placements with parents, relatives, foster care, group homes, and certain residential facilities.

Regarding child-specific licenses, also known as kinship licenses, DCYF may issue a probationary license to a licensee who is temporarily unable to comply with a rule or has been the subject of multiple complaints or concerns about noncompliance, as long as the noncompliance does not present an immediate safety risk and the licensee has an approved corrective plan in place.  A license may be denied, suspended, revoked, modified, or not renewed upon proof that the licensed entity failed or refused to comply with licensing requirements or that the conditions required for issuance of a license no longer exist. 

When a person or entity is denied a license by DCYF, or their license is revoked, suspended, or modified, the person or entity has the right to an adjudicative proceeding.

Crisis Residential Centers. A crisis residential center (CRC) is a short-term secure or semi-secure facility providing a temporary residence for runaway youth and adolescents ages 12-17 in conflict with their families. CRCs are to have an average of at least four adult staff members and in no event no less than three staff members to every eight children.

Childcare Licensing and Subsidies. Child care business licenses issued by DCYF must specify the category of child care that a business is authorized to provide and the ages and number of children to be served.  To obtain an initial license, the applicant must complete a DCYF orientation and submit a license application that includes information about the applicant, information about the facility and staff, information about planned program operations, and required policies.  A full child care license remains valid as long as the licensee meets requirements for a non-expiring license, including submitting annual documentation and continued compliance with licensing rules.

Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) is a federally and state-funded program administered by DCYF that provides subsidies for child care while a parent is working or participating in approved, work-related activities.  The WCCC program is available to families who meet certain eligibility and household income requirements.

The use of an electronic attendance system is required for children receiving a child care subsidy. DCYF must refer all suspected incidents of child care subsidy fraud to the Department of Social and Health Services Office of Fraud and Accountability for investigation and action.

Foster Care Licensing. When high-potency synthetic opioids or illicit substances are present in the home, DCYF is to immediately terminate a child-specific probationary license.  DCYF may issue a child-specific license to a relative or close family friend for the placement of a specific child in the care and custody of another state who is to be placed in Washington State through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. Kinship caregivers do not need to complete blood-borne pathogen training.

The licensing exemption for physicians and lawyers is struck.

DCYF is authorized to terminate a license when a license has been inactive. DCYF is to develop rules in collaboration with impacted groups, which will include a definition of inactive, a process to assess, and exceptions.  Foster home closure due to inactivity is considered an enforcement action and is subject to appeal. Foster home licenses specify the category of care the agency is authorized to provide and the ages and number of persons to be served.

Crisis Residential Centers. CRCs are to have one staff member to every four children during working hours and one staff member to every six children during sleeping hours.

Child Care Licensing. To qualify for a non-expiring full license, licensees accepting state subsidy must utilize an electronic attendance system that captures the daily check-in and check-out time of each child, verified by a parent authorized guardian's electronic signature or biometric identifier.

A license may be denied, or a license may be suspended, revoked, modified, or not renewed by the secretary upon proof that the agency has exceeded its licensed capacity. If DCYF has evidence that an agency has exceeded its licensed capacity, DCYF is to conduct an investigation that may result in the revocation of the agency's license.

Any child care licensee who is found to have committed child care subsidy fraud is permanently disqualified from child care licensure.