Since July, a new streamlined process in Washington allows family members of children in the foster care system to become licensed caregivers.
As first reported in The Imprint, the change allows “kinship caregivers” to receive resources that were initially not available to them. The updates made by the state of Washington come after federal policy changes made under the Biden administration to allow states to come up with their own licensing standards.
Ruben Reeves is the assistant secretary of licensing for Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Family. Jeanine Tacchini is the agency’s deputy assistant secretary of licensing. They both join us to share what this streamlined process has meant for youth in foster care.
Note: The following transcript was transcribed digitally and validated for accuracy, readability and formatting by an OPB volunteer.
Dave Miller: From the Gert Boyle Studio at OPB, this is Think Out Loud. I’m Dave Miller. Starting in July, family members of children in the foster care system in Washington have been able to go through a streamlined process to become licensed caregivers. As first reported in The Imprint, the change allows so-called “kinship caregivers” to receive resources that used to be unavailable. The updates made by the state of Washington and similar ones in Oregon came after federal policy changes under the Biden administration.
Ruben Reeves is the assistant secretary of licensing for Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Family. Jeanine Tacchini is the agency’s deputy assistant secretary of licensing. They both join us now. It’s great to have both of you on Think Out Loud.
Jeanine Tacchini: Thanks for having us.
Ruben Reeves: Thanks, Dave.
Miller: Ruben Reeves, I want to start with the big picture. Why is there such an emphasis on kinship placements in foster care?
Reeves: Thanks, Dave, and thanks for having us again. Jeanine and I are always excited to talk about our work in Washington state around kinship. Research shows that children and youth in foster care just do better when placed with relatives and/or with the kinship caregiver. Being with family helps them stay connected to their community, their culture and identity during an incredibly stressful and traumatic time in their lives. And Washington state is one of the leading states around kinship space. Children do better emotionally, developmentally, and like I said, stay connected to their community and really increase placement stability and less turnover.
Miller: Jeanine, what percentage of placements in Washington right now are with relatives or people who are considered kin?
Tacchini: Currently, there are about 4,600 children and youth in our foster care system. Of those, 59% are placed with kin, so a relative, a close family friend or community member – someone that youth has a connection to.
Miller: Fifty-nine percent. Almost six out of 10. Would the numbers have been the same, say, 15 to 20 years ago?
Tacchini: Our placement with kin has gradually increased. I don’t have the data from 15 or 20 years ago. But what has really increased is our ability to license these kinship placements, and that has provided the families to receive a financial reimbursement through a kinship license, that really supports the needs of those children and youth. So today, of those 59%, 68% are fully licensed, whereas five years ago, it would have been closer to about 15%.
Miller: So let’s get to this change. As I mentioned briefly, Ruben, my understanding is that it stemmed from something that the Biden administration did. Can you explain what happened at the federal level a couple years ago?
Reeves: Dave, in September of 2023, the Administration for Children and Families, known as ACF, federal government, published a rule change that, for the first time, allowed states to adopt specific licensing standards for kinship caregivers. Prior to this change, states had to use the same rules and regulations for kinship caregivers and for community foster homes. So that allowed states to adopt a new set of standards and rules in order for a kinship caregiver to be licensed. That was the big change.
Miller: Jeanine, who qualifies as kin? I mean, some examples maybe are obvious, like a grandparent, or an aunt or uncle. Who else is included?
Tacchini: Great question. Those are what we consider relatives. And then we also have a suitable “other” placement in the state of Washington. So these are supportive adults who have known the child or youth and are somehow connected to that youth’s community. It also includes kinship as defined by our tribal partners, in order to make sure that those kids can remain in their cultures and families within their communities.
Miller: So either literal family members or people who have some kind of relatively close connection to the young person in the foster care system?
Tacchini: Correct.
Miller: Ruben, what was your starting point, as an agency, when you decided, OK, we’re going to take advantage of this federal change and we’re going to create new streamlined standards for this new licensure for kinship care? Where did you start?
Reeves: We started reaching out to those relative caregivers who had been doing this for a long time. We didn’t want to establish these rules and regulations by ourselves. So we had our staff, we had community partners, we had tribes, [and] like I said, we had current and former relative caregivers. It took us a while, about a year to really have these codes designed, to establish these new rules and regulations, to really streamline the process in order for a kinship caregiver to get licensed.
Through this process, we have our rules … basically from 76 rules and regulations down to 35. Fifty percent less forms and 40% less questions on the home study, just made it a really streamlined process and make it easier for kinship caregivers to get licensed in the state of Washington.
Miller: Those are a lot of numbers. But can you give us a sense for just some of the specifics of the requirements that, now, kinship foster parents don’t have to meet that non-kin foster parents would, to achieve licensing? I mean, in addition to fewer questions on a form, what’s actually different?
Tacchini: So I think that what makes the kinship license unique is that it’s really based on the child or youth’s needs. And that’s what allows us to create these standards that work for the family. So, some very specific examples are income requirements. For non-kin foster homes, we do have income requirements in order to be licensed. And for kinship families, that’s not a barrier. Another one is training. When we are licensing non-kin families, training requirements really need to make sure that they’re able to meet the needs of a wide range of children and youth that are coming into care. Whereas with kin, any training that might be an opportunity is very specific to those children and youths needs, not necessarily required to become licensed.
Miller: In August, Oregon launched its own kinship foster program. It’s called the Relative Pathway. The state wrote that the new system “aligns Oregon’s certification process with federal rule and national kin-specific model standards, affirming the vital role relatives play in providing children with stability, nurturing care and a sense of belonging.”
They added this: “The Relative Pathway builds rapport with relatives around supporting the child’s needs and reduces paperwork for certification. Though the Relative Pathway is a streamlined certification process, relative caregivers must meet the same safety standards and home study process as non-relative foster parents.”
Ruben, how did you balance that in Washington? We’ve heard about the streamlining piece of this, but how did you go about getting rid of part of the paperwork while still keeping in the safety guard rails that you have to have in place as the ultimate caregivers for these children? Even if they’re in foster care, it’s the state that is ultimately responsible for their well-being. How did you think about safety as you were cutting red tape?
Reeves: A great question, Dave. And safety is very paramount in Washington state, regardless of where you’re placed. I talked about this partnership we had with our community partners and tribes. There were certain rules and regulations that were safety related that were not negotiable, Dave. Our kinship caregivers still have to go through a background check process similar to someone who is applying to be a community or traditional foster home.
And with these 36 rules and regulations for kinship caregivers, definitely most of those are safety related. Not only safety, but also we want to make sure that children are receiving high-quality care and well-being. So we definitely still have a home study, an assessment, we have background checks, we still have a home inspection, and we still have some of our rules and regulations that make sure children are safe with the kinship caregiver.
Miller: Jeanine, is the idea that these new rules will lead to more family placements or that for the existing family placements, those families will be able to have more access to federal and state money, and make their lives and their kids’ lives a little bit easier?
Tacchini: I think both. We are seeing a gradual increase in the number of children and youth placed with kinship, and we may see that start to flatten out a little bit. And when those children are with kin, what can we do to best support the family and their needs to stabilize that placement?
Like Ruben said earlier, we know when kids are with kin they have better educational outcomes and they have better mental health outcomes. So whatever we can do to support that, in preparation for reunification or another permanent plan, that’s our goal.
Miller: Ruben, could this process for kinship placements, for family placements, lead to streamlined licensing for all foster parents in Washington?
Reeves: Actually, we’re going through that process right now, Dave. We’re actually looking at our rules and regulations for our traditional and community foster parents. Because 59% of our children are placed with the kinship caregiver, that still leaves 41% who need placement from a community foster home. So Washington state, right now, is in the middle of looking at our rules and regulations for how we can streamline the process for everyone, not only for our kinship caregivers, but even for our traditional foster parents. But again, making sure that there’s the safety rules, regulations and well-being of that child. But we’re looking at that right now and hoping that we can roll out those new rules and regulations in the summer of 2026.
Miller: Will that be based, in part, on what you learn from the kinship placements? I mean, if you see that there’s no increase in problems or safety issues, that would make you more comfortable to streamline this for everybody?
Reeves: It’s possible, yeah, it’s possible.
Miller: Ruben Reeves and Jeanine Tacchini, thanks very much.
Tacchini: Thank you for having us.
Reeves: Thank you.
Miller: Ruben Reeves is the assistant secretary of licensing for the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families. Jeanine Tacchini is the deputy assistant secretary for that same agency.
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