YOUTHNET'S GUIDE TO FOSTER CARE
Tips & Resources for Foster Parenting
in Skagit County & Beyond!

Should I become a licensed foster care home through the State of Washington or a private foster care agency?

All foster parents have the option to license through the state (DCYF) or a private foster care agency. Regardless of your choice, your foster children will always have a state social worker. Many families choose to license through an agency for the additional support and consistent team of providers.

At Youthnet, there is no cost, and services include 24/7 on-call support, a case manager who serves the child and your family, weekly foster parent Zoom support groups, quarterly foster parent trainings, and case aide services depending on the age and needs of the foster child.

When you license through a foster care agency, your agency’s team will reach out to you when there is a child in need of a home who fits your family’s preferences and abilities. They provide the information they have about the child, and they seek out more information if you have questions. Agencies help you say yes to placements, and they can also help you say no, too.  Many agencies, like Youthnet, do not do late night after-hours placement requests.

When you license through the state, you receive notifications and/or requests about all children on the placement list, directly from a state placement worker. They are not filtered to your preferences (as they are when you license through an agency). Some families feel confident advocating for themselves and prefer to license through the state. These families often already have experience fostering, and they know how to navigate the system.

What kinds of foster care can I provide?

Therapeutic Foster Care:

One of the biggest needs is foster parents for therapeutic foster care.  Kids who qualify for therapeutic foster care quality for additional supports and services. These kids are between the ages of 5-18 and have a higher level of needs, usually due to the trauma they have experienced. Some of these kids have experienced a large number of moves, and have higher behaviors or special needs. It’s especially important for them to live in an understanding, supportive, trauma-informed home. Many of these kids have been in foster care for a long time and need an adoptive home. Even though their needs are higher than kids in traditional foster care, there are many more supports available for them and their foster families. Kids in therapeutic foster care receive weekly home visits from their case manager and monthly visits from their state social worker. By providing a safe, stable home for a child or teen in therapeutic foster care, you have the opportunity to make a significant positive impact on their future.

Traditional Foster Care:

If you don't feel that therapeutic foster care would be a good fit for your family, there is always a need for families wanting to get involved with traditional foster care. These foster parents can provide placement for kids of all ages. It is up to the preference of the family whether they would like short term or long term placements and what age range they feel would be a good fit for them. Kids in traditional foster care are often newer to foster care and have lower-level service needs. Kids in traditional foster care often have visits with their biological parents and siblings. Foster parents are not expected to supervise this contact but do need to make the child available during visit times. If licensed with Youthnet, your Youthnet visit supervisor will provide transportation and supervision for these visits. If your agency does not provide a visit supervisor, these will be facilitated by a DCYF visit supervisor. Kids in traditional foster care receive monthly home visits from their state social worker (and case manager, if licensed with an agency).

Respite Foster Care:

If you’re not ready for full-time placements, becoming a respite foster parent is a great way to start! In the same way that typical families have the option for their kids to spend an occasional weekend with grandparents or aunts/uncles, foster families have this option, too. Respite foster parents take in foster kids for a short period of time (usually one weekend or one week) while their foster parents go on vacation or take some time to themselves. Respite foster parents go through the exact same licensing process as foster parents, so if you ever decide you’re ready for full-time placements, no additional paperwork is required. Respite is a great way to get to know the foster care system and build your foster parenting skillset.