Washington foster care and adoption guidelines

Thank you for your interest in foster care and adoption. Here you will find general information about foster care and adoption from foster care in Washington state. To find out more about adopting and fostering in Washington, you can either request to be contacted, or use the contact information below.

Contact information

Northwest Adoption Exchange
Phone: 800-927-9411
Email: nwae@nwresource.org

Foster care or adoption licensing requirements

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Training requirements

In Washington state, in order to adopt a child from foster care or become a foster home, you must complete a 24 hour pre-service training course called Caregiver Core Training. A current First Aid/CPR course and a Blood-Borne Pathogens class are also required.

The Caregiver Core Training is offered online only and covers a variety of topics having to do with the needs of children in the foster care system. A certificate of completion is awarded at the end which is used to show the family has successfully completed the training.

The Caregiver Core Training is not required for kinship placements (i.e. people whose relative is in the foster care system or unrelated “suitable others” who already have a relationship with the child to be a placement with them). Other training may be required depending on the needs of the child. The First Aid/CPR course must be certified through the American Heart Association, be taken in person and fit the age of the child you’d like placed in your home.

The Blood-Borne Pathogens class can be taken for free at The Alliance.

Once all training is completed, an application and home study are also required for any foster, adoptive or kinship license.

Adoption information

There are children in foster care that will need a non-relative adoptive home. Please note that Washington State requires adoptive families to be fully licensed as a foster parent before they can be considered for specific youth.

Children of all ages and descriptions need families to come forward and adopt them. In adoption, children join your family permanently. To meet this need, we are looking for all kinds of families, especially those interested in youth aged 10+ or children with high special needs. What is most important for these children is to be placed with a family who will nurture them, who will advocate for them, and who will not give up on them.

Supportive of siblings staying together 
Racially and culturally diverse 
Open and affirming of LGBTQIA+ children and youth
Supportive of keeping connections with birth parents and others who are important to the child
Open to care for medically fragile/medically complex children 
Open to caring for children with extensive emotional, behavioral, and physical needs

Who can adopt? You can be single, married, or in a committed relationship. You can own your own home or rent. You can have parented before or be new to parenting. You don’t have to have a large income. Families are sought on the basis of their ability to successfully parent a child and not on their race, ethnicity, culture, income, age, marital status, religion, appearance, or lifestyle.

Foster care information

Foster parents provide a temporary home for children who, for one reason or another, have been removed by the court from the care of their birth parents. These children are in the temporary custody of the State (the Department of Children, Youth, and Families) while their parents are given the opportunity to complete services that will allow the children to be returned home if this is in the best interest of the child. Most children who enter foster care return to their birth families.

In some cases, the birth family is not able to successfully complete services and the court permanently deprives them of their parental rights. In these cases, if another birth relative is not available to adopt the child, the child will need an adoptive family. If this occurs, foster parents are asked if they would like to adopt the child. If you prefer to foster without adopting, you can choose to do so.

Foster parents are needed who are:

Supportive of siblings staying together 
Racially and culturally diverse 
Open and affirming of LGBTQIA+ children and youth
Aware that foster care is temporary
Supportive of parents and their path towards reunification 
Open to care for medically fragile/medically complex children 
Open to caring for children with extensive emotional, behavioral, and physical needs

For more information regarding foster home licensing, visit the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

Costs to foster and adopt

Foster care

There are no fees for becoming a foster parent, but costs may be incurred for any safety changes needed to the home or necessary pet immunizations.

Adoption

The costs of adopting a child from the public foster care system are typically kept to a bare minimum and may be eligible for reimbursement. Incurred costs are generally limited to:

Attorney fees
Adoption home studies (if completed by someone other than DCYF)
Applicant medical co-pays
Pet immunizations
Safety changes to households

Private adoption agencies charge fees for their services which usually include completion of the homestudy, placement, and post placement services. Families should inquire directly with an agency as to their fees, programs and services.

If you are worried about fees: Adoption fees for the placement of children who are in the foster care system are usually well below the fees encountered for an international adoption or for the adoption of a healthy newborn. Families who adopt children from foster care may also qualify to have a portion of their adoption costs reimbursed by the Washington State Adoption Support Program.

Agency contact information

WA State Dept of Children, Youth and Families

Post-adoption support services

See a comprehensive list of post-adoption and guardianship support services and support groups available to families who live in Washington State.

Information on Washington's children

There are about 5,000 children in foster care in Washington. About 70% will be reunited with their birth family. Others will be placed with relatives or may need an adoptive home.

Most of the children awaiting adoption are school age children and youth. Some are part of a sibling group and need to be adopted together. Some may need homes that can reflect their racial, cultural or personal identities. All have suffered major losses because they had to be removed from their birth family may not have had a stable living situation since then.