Becoming a Caregiver
Licensure
Becoming a licensed foster parent is a multi-step process that includes submitting an inquiry form, submitting a formal application, completion of a thorough home study by the DCYF Licensing Division and completion of these trainings, at a minimum:
Caregiver Core Training
CCT is designed to help you understand how the system works, what your role is as a member of the team, how to effectively work with birth families in order to best support the child, how caregiving may impact your own family, child development and the impact of trauma, all about attachment, how to incorporate and honor a child's culture into your own family, and more.
CPR/First Aid
The Alliance is no longer offering this course directly. Please follow your licensor's instructions for CPR training.
Bloodborne Pathogens
This eLearning will help you understand the risk anticipated by contact with blood and other potentially infectious materials as the result of caring for children.
Email Licensing and Kinship Coordinator Luanne Marshall at lmarsh3@uw.edu to schedule a Lunch with Luanne for personal support with kinship or general foster licensing
If you’re ready to get started, keep a copy of our Journey Toward Licensure checklist handy!
You can find more information on the licensing process on the DCYF website.
Training Requirements
In the first three-year licensing period, licensed foster parents must complete 24 hours of Caregiver Continuing Education (CCE), which includes at least one training from each of these four competency categories:
At least one of these trainings must be culturally based. You are encouraged to take up to 18 hours of CCE between the time you submit your licensing application and you receive your license, as these hours will carry over to your first three-year licensing period.
During the second three-year consecutive licensing period, the foster parent must complete 24 hours of CCE training that includes at least one training from each of the four competency categories and must include a cultural competency training.
You may carry 12 hours of Caregiver Continuing Education from one licensing period over to the next licensing period.
During all subsequent three-year licensing periods, the foster parent must complete 24 hours of CCE training from any competency category. Some of the trainings encompass multiple categories.
These are some recommended trainings as you get started:
- Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma (multi-session course)
- Compassionate Parenting
- Healthy Sexual Development
- Introduction to Positive Discipline
- Mandatory Reporter Roles and Responsibilities (eLearning)
- Paper Trail: Documentation Training for Caregivers
- Partners Make Better Decisions
- So You Have a New Placement…Now What? (available in multiple modalities)
- Supporting the Educational Success of Youth Experiencing Foster Care
- Topic Support Group: “Dancing with a Porcupine” Book Club
- Topic Support Group: Fostering as Part of a Team
- Topic Support Group: Fostering Across Race, Ethnicity and Culture
- Trust-Based Relational Intervention-TBRI (multi-session course)
There are a variety of other recommended trainings as you get started, based on the ages of children you wish to provide placement for. For example, if you want to serve young children, then the courses for “Infant Safety and Care” and “As They Grow: The Drug Impacted Infant and Toddler” can be valuable. And if you want to serve older youth, courses such as “Parenting Teens” can be helpful.
Child Placing Agencies
Child Placing Agencies (CPAs) are an alternative to being licensed by the state. CPAs are private agencies that recruit and certify new families, place children in foster homes, and support the process of reunification.
These are similar things state caseworkers do, but there is one key difference. Because CPAs have smaller caseloads and more flexibility, they’re able to focus on developing meaningful personal relationships. The results are more personalized support for children, youth, families, and foster families, and relief for overwhelmed state caseworkers.
CPAs can be found statewide and each are slightly different, so it’s important to find the right agency for your family, which may be the state. You have choices so be sure and find the right fit for you and your family.
Learn more about child placing agencies here.
Training for Kinship Caregivers
Kinship Core Training (KCT) is intended to meet the training requirements for those kinship caregivers pursuing licensing. This training is designed to help kinship caregivers develop the skills they need to care for children who have experienced complex trauma.
KCT consists of the four sessions listed below and can be taken in full or individually in any order. Check with your licensing contact to determine the right plan for you.
Session 1: Navigating the System
Session 2: Growing Up with Trauma, Grief, and Loss
Session 3: Understanding and Managing Behaviors
Session 4: Nurturing Connections and Community