Department of Children, Youth, and Families
| Average Annual FTEs | Near General Fund State | Other Funds | Total Funds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||
| Current Budget | 4,862.9 | 3,575,364 | 1,266,183 | 4,841,547 |
| 2023-25 Maintenance Level | 4,927.4 | 3,663,871 | 1,373,152 | 5,037,023 |
| Difference from 2023-25 Original | 64.5 | 88,507 | 106,969 | 195,476 |
| % Change from 2023-25 Original | 1.3% | 2.5% | 8.4% | 4.0% |
2024 Policy Other Changes |
||||
| Lease Adjustments | 0.0 | (1,809) | (26) | (1,835) |
| Federal Funding Adjustment | 0.0 | 0 | 47,600 | 47,600 |
| WACAP Project M&O Costs | 6.5 | 2,562 | 978 | 3,540 |
| Basic Foster Care Rate | 0.0 | 4,974 | 3,316 | 8,290 |
| Settlement Payouts | 0.0 | 94,615 | 0 | 94,615 |
| Echo Glen Security | 0.0 | 9,039 | 0 | 9,039 |
| Green Hill Baker | (8.2) | (904) | 0 | (904) |
| CCDF-TANF Audit Resolution | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clark County Relocation | 0.0 | 813 | 133 | 946 |
| Body Scanners | 0.0 | 967 | 0 | 967 |
| Assignment Pay Fix | 0.0 | 2,672 | 0 | 2,672 |
| CCDF Federal Authority Adjustment | 0.0 | 0 | 11,268 | 11,268 |
| Child Care Contract Infant Slots | 0.50 | 1,597 | 3 | 1,600 |
| Safety Plan Participants | 0.0 | 1,515 | 0 | 1,515 |
| Caregiver Supports Correction | 0.0 | 5,264 | 600 | 5,864 |
| Workload Forecast Adjustment | (9.0) | (995) | (88) | (1,083) |
| CCWIS Implementation | 14.5 | 12,726 | 12,726 | 25,452 |
| SSPS Replacement | 1.0 | 3,613 | 1,926 | 5,539 |
| JR Class Action Settlement | 9.0 | 3,420 | 176 | 3,596 |
| Staff Safety and Supports | 5.2 | 2,188 | 24 | 2,212 |
| ESIT Monthly Count | 0.0 | 4,401 | 0 | 4,401 |
| TTK Coordinated Enrollment | 1.0 | 1,351 | 6 | 1,357 |
| ECEAP Rate Increase | 0.0 | 10,182 | 0 | 10,182 |
| D.S. Lawsuit Settlement | 12.5 | 5,044 | 718 | 5,762 |
| Emergent Placement Rate Increase | 0.0 | 2,786 | 0 | 2,786 |
| Public Health Nurse Pilot | 0.0 | 1,350 | 0 | 1,350 |
| Home Visiting Contracted Slots | 0.0 | 0 | 1,600 | 1,600 |
| IL Adolescent Transition Managers | 4.0 | 1,155 | 0 | 1,155 |
| IL Federal Backfill | 0.0 | 1,984 | 0 | 1,984 |
| Lifeset Program | 0.0 | 169 | 203 | 372 |
| Expand TANF Time Limit | 0.0 | 466 | 0 | 466 |
| Rising Strong | 0.0 | 1,400 | 0 | 1,400 |
| 2024 Policy Other Changes Total | 38.0 | 172,545 | 81,163 | 253,708 |
2024 Policy Comp Changes |
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| State Employee Benefits | 0.0 | 272 | 71 | 343 |
| Pension Rate Month of Death Bill | 0.0 | 126 | 35 | 161 |
| Pension Rate PSERS Bill | 0.0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| 2024 Policy Comp Changes Total | 0.0 | 403 | 106 | 509 |
2024 Policy Central Services Changes |
||||
| Archives/Records Management | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Audit Services | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Legal Services | 0.0 | 547 | 136 | 683 |
| Administrative Hearings | 0.0 | 15 | 6 | 21 |
| CTS Central Services | 0.0 | 339 | 93 | 432 |
| DES Central Services | 0.0 | 24 | 9 | 33 |
| OFM Central Services | 0.0 | 6,041 | 39 | 6,080 |
| GOV Central Services | 0.0 | 40 | 16 | 56 |
| 2024 Policy Central Services Changes Total | 0.0 | 7,012 | 301 | 7,313 |
| Total Policy Changes | 38.0 | 179,960 | 81,570 | 261,530 |
| 2024 Policy Level | 4,965.4 | 3,843,831 | 1,454,722 | 5,298,553 |
| Difference from 2023-25 Original | 102.5 | 268,467 | 188,539 | 457,006 |
| % Change from 2023-25 Original | 2.1% | 7.5% | 14.9% | 9.4% |
Policy Changes
Lease Adjustments
In alignment with DCYF's leased facilities plan, funding is provided for the ongoing cost of unsigned leases. Funding is provided for the 2023-25 biennium at the fiscal year 2023 levels. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Archives/Records Management
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated share of charges for archives and records management services provided by the Secretary of State's Office. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal)
Audit Services
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of audits performed by the State Auditor's Office. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Legal Services
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of legal services provided by the Attorney General's Office. Because legal services expenditures are based on consumption, funding provided in the central service model is not all inclusive. The methodology to estimate consumption is a two-year average and allows for analysis to incorporate unique agency circumstances. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal)
Administrative Hearings
Adjustments are made for each agency's anticipated cost of hearings performed by the Office of Administrative Hearings. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
CTS Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from Consolidated Technology Services (CTS) for the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Office of Cybersecurity, state network, enterprise and small agency IT services, enterprise architecture and data management, Microsoft 365 licenses, and other items. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
DES Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) for Capitol campus costs; real estate, risk management, and small agency services; the Perry Street and Capitol Campus child care centers; enterprise applications, and other items. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
OFM Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from the Office of Financial Management for existing statewide applications, the One Washington program, and other central services. See Chapter 11 of the 2023-25 OFM Budget Instructions for allocation methodologies. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
Federal Funding Adjustment
The Department received a one-time discretionary Child Care Development Fund Stabilization (ARPA) grant spanning October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2024. Federal expenditure authority is provided to liquidate the funds by the grant deadline. (General Fund - Federal)
Assignment Pay Fix
The 2023-25 collective bargaining agreement included the basic salary range plus 10 percent for Social Service Specialist 3, 4 and 5 positions that perform visits in unregulated environments, such as private residences, to investigate abuse and neglect allegations and assess the safety of children. A settlement agreement was reached to also provide this assignment pay to certain in-training Social Service Specialist 2 positions. This item addresses the funding gap that resulted from the identification of more positions eligible for the increase. (General Fund - State)
CCDF Federal Authority Adjustment
The Department received ongoing discretionary Child Care Development Fund grants, one for federal fiscal year 2023 and one for federal fiscal year 2024. Federal expenditure authority is provided for this grant funding. (General Fund - Federal)
Workload Forecast Adjustment
The maintenance level funding for the November 2023 forecast was based on actuals through August 2023. DCYF had additional actuals for September and October, which were below the forecast. An adjustment is made to capture savings from updated actuals that reduce the number of FTE positions needed in Child Protective Services. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal)
WACAP Project M&O Costs
The Washington Caregiver Application Portal (WACAP) IT project allows foster parents, unlicensed caregivers, group care facilities, and child placement agencies to enter and maintain information during the initial licensing and home study processes. The project is near completion and this funding is provided for the maintenance and operations costs. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare)
Basic Foster Care Rate
The foster care maintenance payment basic rate is paid to reimburse licensed caregivers when a child has been removed from their home due to child abuse and neglect and placed into foster care by the juvenile court. The basic rate is also the foundation for providing payments for youth in extended foster care who are in supervised independent living arrangements. Funding is provided to increase this rate because it is not sufficient to cover the costs incurred by licensed caregivers to meet the needs of children in foster care. (General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare, General Fund - State)
Settlement Payouts
The state has issued payments to cover two legal obligations: $91,250 to pay for costs associated with a jury verdict resulting from Powell v. State of Washington and $3,365 for a settlement agreement in Aroni v. State of Washington. Funding is provided for the department to pay legal costs that exceed the $10,000 amount covered by the Self Insurance Liability Account for each case. (General Fund - State)
Echo Glen Security
Echo Glen Children's Center has had recent escapes, which present an immediate need to ensure the safety of the community, staff, and incarcerated youth. The Echo Glen campus is not currently fenced and only part is bordered by natural wetlands and forests. The enacted capital budget includes funding for security upgrades including a perimeter fence that will be complete in May 2025. Funds are provided for the department to contract for security guards to enhance security until the fence construction is complete. (General Fund - State)
Green Hill Baker
The 2021-23 capital budget provided funding to remodel Baker North Cottage at Green Hill School. This 16-bed cottage will operate as a transition unit for incarcerated individuals transitioning to the community, community facilities, or the adult correctional system upon release. Funding was provided in the 2023-25 operating budget for marginal costs to open the newly renovated wing in January 2024. It is now scheduled to open in March 2024, resulting in savings. (General Fund - State)
CCDF-TANF Audit Resolution
DCYF is in compliance with federal requirements associated with the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) grant, which is a federal grant that supports the subsidy childcare program. However, the State Auditor's Office issued a $271 million audit finding for the CCDF program because it was not able to audit grant transactions at the client level. In addition, DCYF receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grant funds from DSHS for its subsidy childcare program and has learned that federal TANF grant expenditures must be tracked at the client level. Funding and staff are provided in Program Support for DCYF to track expenditures for the subsidy childcare program at the client level to avoid the risk of losing this funding source. Underspend in fiscal year 2025 is captured in the juvenile rehabilitation program to help fund this item. (General Fund - State)
Clark County Relocation
DCYF received funding in the 2023-25 biennial budget for the Vancouver office. The construction market in the area is higher than expected, which means the one-time tenant improvement costs have increased along with a small increase in lease costs. Additional one-time funding is provided to complete the tenant improvements and ongoing funding will cover the increase in lease costs. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal)
Body Scanners
The department recently entered into a legal settlement to significantly reduce the use of strip searches in juvenile rehabilitation (JR) residential facilities. Instead of strip searches, DCYF uses body scanners to prevent the introduction of contraband into JR facilities. The Department of Health is implementing new rules in January 2024, which will prohibit the use of body scanners that emit radiation on minors but allow the use of low radiation body scanners for incarcerated adults to prevent contraband introduction. Funding is provided for the department to purchase two no-radiation scanners such as millimeter wave scanners, one each for Green Hill School and Echo Glen, which may be used on visitors, staff, and incarcerated minors. One low-dose radiation scanner, such as a limited use body scanner, will be purchased for use on incarcerated adults. (General Fund - State)
Child Care Contract Infant Slots
While parental substance use is a factor in a high number of out-of-home placements, particularly for infants, in some cases it indicates a safety concern that does not demonstrate immediate danger to prompt removal of the child. A safety plan may be put in place that identifies how safety threats such as parental substance use will be managed in the home. It is extremely challenging to manage the safety threat that fentanyl may pose to infants. Child care can serve as a valuable support for families who may be at high risk but do not meet the imminent physical harm threshold for out-of-home placement. One FTE position and funding are provided to pilot contracted child care slots for CPS-involved infants that can be a dedicated resource for families at risk of opioid safety threats and can serve as part of a safety plan. (General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare, General Fund - State)
Safety Plan Participants
While parental substance use is a factor in a high number of out-of-home placements, particularly for infants and toddlers, in some cases it indicates a safety concern that does not demonstrate immediate danger to prompt removal of the child. A safety plan may be put in place that identifies how child safety threats, such as opioid use, will be managed in the home. Funding is provided for the department to contract in up to four offices to engage third party safety plan participants and public health nurses to help engage with families who do not have natural supports, to support their safety plans, and to help families navigate services. (General Fund - State)
Caregiver Supports Correction
Caregiver Supports is a restructure of foster care maintenance payments across a new seven-level system based on a child's need as informed by interviews and health history. It also provides supports to all caregivers, including kinship caregivers. This item restores the necessary funding for Caregiver Supports, including case management at levels 1 and 2, but removes contract funding in the out years that will be forecasted. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare)
CCWIS Implementation
The department currently uses a child welfare case management system, FamLink, which is Washington State's Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System. FamLink's complexity limits the department's ability to make system changes resulting from federal rule changes, to streamline functionality to support day-to-day case management work, and to ensure interoperability with other state IT systems. Additionally, a fund swap in DCYF's base budget reduced $11.4 million General Fund-State and added $11.4 million in federal authority for Family First Prevention Services Act funds. However, the agency can only claim FFPSA funds once the Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) is complete. Funding and FTE is provided for the procurement and initial stages of CCWIS implementation. (General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare, General Fund - State)
SSPS Replacement
The Social Service Payment System (SSPS) is used by the department to provide authorization and payment processing for services delivered to DCYF clients. SSPS resides on a mainframe that is at its end of life, developer resources to maintain the existing system are scarce, and the program must eventually interface with the One Washington enterprise system. Funding and FTE staff are provided to complete a feasibility study for SSPS to determine project implementation costs and optimize inputs for a project plan. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
JR Class Action Settlement
A settlement agreement was reached in the case of Ta'afulisia et al. v Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families et al. The agreement requires DCYF to provide hearings to incarcerated youth under age 25 serving their sentence at a DCYF facility prior to transferring to an adult corrections facility operated by the Department of Corrections. Funding is also provided to conduct hearings for youth under age 25 who are transferred from a DCYF community partial confinement facility to a DCYF total confinement facility. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare, General Fund - Medicaid Federal, other funds)
Staff Safety and Supports
Frontline child welfare and juvenile rehabilitation staff perform emotionally and physically demanding work as part of their regular duties, which may include exposure to critical and traumatic incidents that pose a risk to employee health and well-being. The turnover among these staff is high. Funding and FTE staff are provided to support staff safety needs; hire peers to train and support crisis response volunteers; facilitate immediate intervention and support to staff involved in traumatic incidents; and use healing-centered practices that prevent or address the risk of post-traumatic stress for staff. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare)
ESIT Monthly Count
The department and local Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) providers are limited from counting children for the full number of months they receive services because child counts are based on whether the child was served within a month prior to the count day, which has historically been the first school day of the month. Children who exit the program mid-month may not be counted. Funding is provided in support of request legislation that counts a child receiving ESIT services within the same month as the monthly count day, which is the last business day of the month. This will better compensate providers for the full amount of months in which an ESIT child is served. (General Fund - State)
TTK Coordinated Enrollment
Chapter 420, Laws of 2023 directs DCYF to consult with the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction to support connections between Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) programs and local early learning providers. Funding is provided to enable DCYF to meet these requirements, including hiring staff and leveraging contracts with community organizations to support statewide and regional partnerships. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
ECEAP Rate Increase
The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) will become an entitlement in the 2026-27 school year. ECEAP providers continue to rebuild staff and operating capacity since the pandemic, and supporting a sustainable slot rate is critical to meeting the entitlement. Funding is provided for a 12% rate increase on school day slots and a 19% rate increase on working day slots. (General Fund - State)
D.S. Lawsuit Settlement
In January 2021, plaintiffs filed D.S. v. Washington, a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court, on behalf of youth experiencing placement instability through night-to-night placements and hotel and overnight stays in DCYF offices. In June 2022, DCYF and plaintiffs reached a settlement agreement, which requires the agency to make system improvements and offer services and supports to class members. Funding is provided for fiduciary support to support payment infrastructure for the reforms outlined in the settlement agreement, complete stakeholder facilitation, and pay plaintiff legal fees. (General Fund - Family Support/Child Welfare, General Fund - State)
Emergent Placement Rate Increase
The Legislature created emergent placement services (EPS) as a placement option in 2018. EPS is a contracted, short-term placement option for children and youth in foster care when there is no other placement available. A child or youth may be placed in an EPS placement for up to 15 days while the caseworker develops a transition plan and identifies a more permanent placement. The EPS rate is now outdated and must be updated to stabilize this line of service and bring more beds online in western Washington. A DCYF-contracted analysis by Western Washington University identified a need to increase the rate model assumptions to reflect salaries and wages sufficient to recruit and retain staff and to reimburse providers for incidentals. Funding is provided to increase the EPS rate to stabilize and optimize EPS capacity. (General Fund - State)
Public Health Nurse Pilot
The opioid epidemic is a public health crisis and the number of fentanyl-related fatalities and near fatalities among children, particularly ages 0 to 3, is increasing. Funding is provided for a pilot that contracts for 6.75 public health nurses distributed by case count across the child welfare regions. Public health nurses can serve as credible messengers to child welfare-involved families concerning the risk of harm to children due to accidental exposure to drugs such as fentanyl. They can also support caseworkers to engage with families on safe sleep, child health and other matters of concern in CPS investigations, as well as to support families in navigating toward community-based services. (General Fund - State)
Home Visiting Contracted Slots
Parental substance use is a factor in a disproportionately high number of out-of-home placements, particularly for infants and toddlers. But in some cases, parental substance use indicates a safety concern that does not demonstrate immediate danger that prompts removal of the child. Home visiting can provide a valuable support for families who may be at high risk but do not meet the imminent physical harm threshold for out-of-home placement. Funding is provided for a pilot of 150 contracted home visiting slots targeted to families in Child Protective Services, Family Assessment Response, or Family Voluntary Services where parental substance use is a factor. Home visiting is a voluntary, proven program where trained home visitors and parents work together to strengthen and support families in the child's first years of life. It also helps connect families to other services and supports such as housing and substance use disorder treatment. (Home Visiting Services Account - State)
IL Adolescent Transition Managers
Independent Living (IL) is DCYF's primary program to assist youth involved in the child welfare system to transition successfully into adulthood. The 2021-23 budget provided one-time funding for a statewide adolescent transition program manager and six adolescent liaisons as dedicated staff to support transition planning for adolescents exiting DCYF systems of care and help connect them to resources, including IL. Funding is provided to make the IL adolescent transition managers permanent. (General Fund - State)
IL Federal Backfill
Independent Living (IL) is DCYF's primary program to assist youth involved in the child welfare system to transition successfully into adulthood. It is exclusively funded by a federal Chafee Grant that is allocated to states based on their relative share of children and youth in foster care. The number of children and youth in foster care is declining while the number of youth in IL is increasing, resulting in a shortfall of federal funds needed to maintain the program. Funding is provided to backfill the declining Chaffee grant in order to maintain the IL program. (General Fund - State)
Lifeset Program
A contract is in place with community organizations in King and Yakima counties to deliver LifeSet, a comprehensive, community-based intervention model designed to serve young people 17-22 years old, who have been in the foster care, juvenile justice and mental health systems or young adults who do not have the skills and resources to successfully transition to adulthood. Funding was appropriated in the enacted biennial budget to expand LifeSet statewide but it was less than the agency requested and did not support a phased expansion that allows for leveraging of philanthropic funds. Funding is provided to maintain the two existing LifeSet teams and to add two teams in fiscal year 2024, one team in fiscal year 2025, and one team in fiscal year 2026, for a total of six LifeSet teams that will be available in various counties. (General Fund - Local, General Fund - Private/Local, General Fund - State)
Expand TANF Time Limit
Funding is provided to cover Working Connections Child Care costs associated with the anticipated caseload increase tied to expanding the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program's 60-month time limit to households who are exempt from WorkFirst participation, addressing a temporary situation that prevents them from working, or actively participating in WorkFirst activities. (General Fund - State)
Rising Strong
The enacted biennial budget provided one-time funding in fiscal year 2024 for a grant to a non-profit organization in Spokane with expertise in the Rising Strong model that provides family-centered drug treatment and housing programs for families experiencing substance use disorder. Funding is intended to support the program while the department works to develop a sustainable operating model to expand the program to other regions of the state. The operating model is not due until July 1, 2024. One-time funding is provided to address a funding gap for fiscal year 2025. (General Fund - State)
State Employee Benefits
Funding is provided to increase the retiree health insurance subsidy, adjusting the cap from $183 to $193 per month and raising the base subsidy percentage from 50 percent to 60 percent. The insurance funding rates are set at $1,145 per month for fiscal year 2024 and $1,158 per month for fiscal year 2025. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal, Home Visiting Services Account - State)
Pension Rate Month of Death Bill
Funding is provided for contribution rate impacts associated with proposed legislation that ensures the continuation of benefit payments through the end of the month in which a retiree or beneficiary dies. (General Fund - State, General Fund - Federal)
Pension Rate PSERS Bill
Funding is provided for contribution rate impacts associated with proposed legislation to include staff of residential treatment facilities and the Special Commitment Center in the Public Safety Employees’ Retirement System. (General Fund - State)
GOV Central Services
Adjustments are made to reflect each agency's anticipated share of charges from the Office of the Governor for the Office of Equity. (General Fund - Federal, General Fund - State)
