Upwards of 50,000 children (5%) in Washington live in homes where neither parent is present.
About 5,000 of those kids are in the state foster care system. The rest (approximately 45,000 kids across the state) are living with grandparents or other kinship, says Barb Taylor of Catholic Community Services of Western Washington Kinship Services.
“We hear the story over and over: My grandchild came to stay with me for what I thought would be a month, and now it’s been five years,” says Taylor, who is also coordinator of the King County Kinship Collaboration. “It’s clear to them that it’s a permanent situation.”
Nonprofits like Catholic Community Services help informal kinship families navigate their increased costs by providing emergency financial support, food, clothing, or transportation assistance among other things.
A positive change
Less than two years ago, in 2023, 92,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect were reported in Washington state, nearly the same number reported in 2018.
And yet, since the state’s Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), was established in 2017, the number of kids in state-supervised foster care has dramatically dropped— from 9,171 in 2018 to 4,971 in 2024, the lowest number since the 1980s.
The difference? A shift in policy and approach, say state child welfare officials.
Keeping families together
Rather than jumping first to removing kids from parents struggling to provide safe homes, DCYF’s mission has been to give parents the support they need to prevent conditions that lead to abuse and neglect. Those conditions include poverty, unemployment, lack of education, substance abuse, mental health issues, domestic violence, a history of abuse, and family stress.
When a child must be removed from their parents, DCYF has redoubled the state’s efforts to place them in the care of a relative (called kinship care) rather than with unrelated foster parents. About half of kids in the foster care system live with relatives, some of whom have gone through the foster home licensing process, though most have not.
State child welfare officials say another factor has also contributed to the lower foster care census: The 2021 passage of Washington’s Keeping Families Together Act, which states that homelessness, disability, and poverty are not reasons to take children away from their parents.
Fewer children in state care “demonstrates our agency’s commitment to keeping families together and children and youth safe,” DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter said in 2024.
The options when a child can’t live with their parents
There are differences between foster parents, kinship caregivers appointed by the state, and relatives who step up to care for kids on an informal basis.
Foster homes and foster parents are licensed by the state after the adult caregivers undergo a rigorous application process and background check, and the home itself is given a safety review by state child welfare workers.
Children placed in a foster home are not related to the foster parents (unless they are kinship caregivers who decided to go through the foster care licensing process). As of January 1, 2024, foster parents receive between $722 and $860 per month to help defray the costs of caring for a child, a payment that increases based on a child’s developmental, mental health, or chronic health needs. Some relatives (called kinship caregivers) who take in children through the state child welfare system choose to license as foster parents as well. If they do so, they receive all the same benefits of unrelated foster parents.
Support for foster homes include: information and referral to services, case management, paid family leave, compensation for damages caused by a foster child and support in adopting a child.
Kinship caregivers who are not licensed as foster parents but appointed by the state still receive case management and support in adopting a child, but financial support generally stops at a “non-needy” TANF grant based on the child’s income of $450 per month for one child and an additional $120 per month for a second child.
Respite caregivers are foster parents who offer time-limited, temporary care of kids so that their longterm foster caregivers can take a break for personal or professional reasons. As licensed foster parents, respite caregivers take on the full responsibility of a foster parent for the short time kids are in their home.
Informal kinship caregivers
Informal kinship caregivers take in a child without the child welfare system placing them in the home. Informal kinship caregivers can apply for TANF child-only as well as Apple Health (Medicaid) for the relative children in their home.
Nonprofits like Catholic Community Services and Legal Advice and Referral for Kinship Care (LAARK) help fill in the support gaps for such families by offering legal support or emergency financial support, for example, one-time help with rent or utilities to prevent eviction or shut-off. They also help struggling families meet their basic needs with food, clothing, or transportation assistance. Such nonprofits may also provide tutoring, school uniforms and supplies, field trip fees, band instruments, and sports and youth activities registrations and fees.
Informal kinship caregivers may also be eligible for urgent needs from the state’s Kinship Caregiver Support Program (KCSP). Information, referrals, case coordination and management, and peer-to-peer support is also available through Washington State’s Kinship Navigator Program, run by staff at the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA).
Averages and outcomes
As of 2023, the average age of a foster child in Washington is 8 years old, while their average time in the foster care system is about 20 months, according to Adopt US Kids. Within three years of entering foster care, approximately 57% of children are reunited with their parents; 16% are adopted; 5% are placed with a guardian; 3% become emancipated; and 16% remain in foster care. Approximately a third of Washington youth who have spent time in foster care experience homelessness by the time they turn 21.
In 2002, respondents reported an average of 5.8 years of kinship caregiving, while in 2020 participants reported an average of 6.71 years. In 2002, respondents reported an average age of 9.5 for the children in their care, while those in 2020 reported an average age of 12.8. Outcomes for children in the care of relatives are better, likely due to the stability offered by relative care.
This article is one piece of our special series on foster and kinship care, highlighting the voices and experiences of foster youth, caregivers, and communities supporting them. Explore the full series to read more of these important stories.
Treehouse builds brighter futures for foster kids in Washington | What happens when foster youth are met not with barriers, but with opportunity and support? Treehouse has spent decades answering that question — and changing lives in the process. As this one-of-a-kind program faces major funding cuts, its mission has never been more urgent.
How we became licensed foster parents in Washington | One family’s year-long journey to become a licensed foster parent — filled with paperwork, training, and plenty of heart — offers a firsthand look at the process. From orientation to their first placement, their story sheds light on the realities of stepping into foster care.
Paying It Forward: A former foster youth gives back | Kyle Martinez grew up in the foster care system, unsure of what his future might hold. Today, he’s using that experience to uplift others — mentoring youth in care and speaking out for stronger support systems. His journey from uncertainty to advocacy shows the impact one person can make when given the tools to thrive.
