4320. Identifying Adoptive Families

Original Date: September 27, 1995

Revised Date: July 1 2023

Sunset Review Date: July 31, 2027

Approved by: Frank Ordway, Chief of Staff

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide direction on:

Identifying permanent adoptive homes for children and youth.
Providing information to adoptive families about prospective adoptive children or youth that allows them to make an informed decision on whether they want to be considered as an adoptive family.
Recruitment services and activities for children and youth in need of a permanent home.

Scope

TThis policy applies to child welfare employees.

Laws

RCW 13.34.040 Petition to court to deal with dependent child-Application of federal Indian child welfare act

RCW 13.34.130 Order of disposition for a dependent child, alternatives-Petition seeking termination of parent-child relationship-Placement with relatives, foster family home, group care facility, or other suitable persons-Placement of an Indian child in out-of-home care-Contact with siblings

RCW 13.34.200 Order terminating parent and child relationship-Rights of parties when granted

RCW 13.34.210 Order terminating parent and child relationship-Custody where no one has parental rights

RCW 13.34.260 Foster home placement-Parental preferences-Foster parent contact with birth parents encouraged

Chapter 13.50 RCW Keeping and release of records by juvenile justice or care agencies

Chapter 26.33 RCW Adoption

Chapter 70.02 RCW Medical records and health care information access and disclosure

RCW 70.24.110 Minors-Treatment, consent, liability for payment for care

RCW 74.13.031 Duties of department-Child welfare services-Children's services advisory committee

RCW 74.13.290 Fewest possible placements for children-Preferred placements

RCW 74.13.300 Notification of proposed placement changes

RCW 74.14A.020 Services for emotionally disturbed and mentally ill children, potentially dependent children, and families-in-conflict

PL 103-382 Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) of 1994

PL 105-89 Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997

Policy

Child and Family Welfare Services (CFWS) caseworkers and adoption caseworkers:
1. Must:
  1. Follow the Kinship Care: Searching for, Placing with, and Supporting Relatives and Suitable Other Persons policy throughout the life of the case when children or youth are not placed with relatives.
  2. Continue relative searches when legally-free children or youth are not placed with relatives.
  3. Provide reasonable efforts to identify prospective adoptive families willing to agree to the terms of the Letters of Intent, as applicable.
  4. Assess prospective adoptive families for children and youth with a permanent plan of adoption.
  5. Identify prospective adoptive families through:
    1. Adoption planning reviews (APR) for children or youth prior to termination of parental rights (TPR) or accepting a relinquishment of parental rights.
    2. Shared planning meetings (SPM) for children or youth after termination of parental rights (TPR) or accepting a relinquishment of parental rights.
  6. Assess the child’s or youth’s best interest when making placement decisions. Best interest is determined on a case-by-case basis. The determination is made by considering their:
    1. Physical safety.
    2. Well-being, including physical, emotional, and mental health needs.
    3. Relationship or bond with current caregivers, if applicable.
    4. Capacity of the caregiver to meet their physical and well-being needs.
  7. Involve youth 12 years and older in case planning decisions.
  8. Assess and give preference to:
    1. Placement considerations from the following:
      1. Parents
      2. Guardians
      3. Children
      4. Youth
    2. Both of the following, per the Placement Out-of-Home and Conditions for Return Home policy:
      1. Relatives and suitable persons instead of a foster home that is unrelated and unknown to the family when determining a placement for a child or youth, when:
        
        They are safe and able to meet the child’s or youth’s needs.
        
        The placement is in the child’s or youth’s best interests.
      2. Placing siblings together when it is in the child’s or youth’s best interest.
  9. Maintain children’s or youth’s existing relationships with relatives of a specified degree that are not placement options when:
    1. Children or youth are dependent and legally-free. The rights of the relative of specified degree do not extend beyond adoption.
    2. A relationship with the relatives is determined to be in the child’s or youth’s best interest.
    3. Relatives of specified degree want to maintain a relationship with the child or youth.
    4. A SPM process recommends this contact.
  10. Follow Indian Child Welfare (ICW) Chapter 8. Adoption policy when there is reason to know that the child or youth is or may be an Indian child.
  11. Verify the health, mental health, and education information on the child or youth is provided to prospective adoptive families prior to adoption finalization.
2. Must not deny:
  1. Adoptions or out-of-home placements based on the race, or national origin of the prospective adoptive parents or the child or youth involved, per MEPA. This provision does not apply to nor affect Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).
  2. Any individual above the age of 18 the opportunity to become an adoptive parent based on race or national origin.
  3. Adoptive placements with an approved family residing outside the jurisdiction or office providing case management for the child’s or youth’s case.
CFWS caseworkers must follow the Case Transfer policy after relinquishment or TPR hearings to initiate the case transfer to adoptions.
Adoption supervisors must follow the Case Transfer policy when assigning new cases to adoption caseworkers.
Adoption caseworkers must provide information and guidance to prospective adoptive families, adoptees, and employees about the adoption process and available services when requested.

Procedures

Identifying the Adoptive Family
1. CFWS caseworkers must complete the following when relative searches have been completed and no relatives have been identified or approved for placement and there is at least one family that wants to be identified as their prospective adoptive home:
  1. Provide adoptive families information about the prospective adoptive children or youth that may impact their ability to parent successfully to assist the family in determining if they want to be considered as an adoptive home. This includes:
    1. Coordinating with adoption caseworkers to redact information needing to be provided.
    2. Providing the following information, that may include, but is not limited to the child’s or youth’s:
      1. Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan.
      2. Psychological or other mental health assessments.
      3. Medical information.
      4. Foster Care Assessment Program (FCAP) report.
  2. When there:
    1. Is a single adoptive family identified:
      1. Schedule an APR SPM.
      2. Obtain a Consent DCYF 14-012 form, to share the home study, e.g., youth if developmentally appropriate, Guardian ad Litem (GAL), and tribes.
      3. Follow the:
        
        APR policy.
        
        Home Study Review and Placement Considerations CWP_0064 publication.
    2. Are two or more prospective adoptive families identified:
      1. Schedule an APR SPM.
      2. Obtain a Consent DCYF 14-012 form, to share the home study, e.g., youth if developmentally appropriate, GALs, and tribes.
      3. Follow the APR policy.
      4. Utilize the:
        
        Selection Committee.
        
        Home Study Review and Placement Considerations CWP_0064 publication.
2. Adoption caseworkers must:
  1. Follow the Home Study Review and Placement Considerations CWP_0064 publication when children or youth have one or more adoptive families identified.
  2. Utilize the Selection Committee process when there are two or more prospective adoptive placements and children or youth are:
    1. Legally-free.
    2. Not in a prospective adoptive placement.
3. CFWS caseworkers or adoption caseworkers must:
  1. Hold Selection Committees with prospective adoptive placements that have approved homes studies and are:
    1. Relatives or suitable persons, licensed or unlicensed.
    2. Foster parents with an existing relationship.
    3. Other licensed foster parents approved for adoption.
  2. Email requests for Selection Committees to the Regional Adoption Program Manager (RAPM) or designee and include the following:
    1. Consent DCYF 14-012 form, to share the home studies with all parties invited to the Selection Committee, e.g., GAL, tribes, and external partners.
    2. Child’s or youth’s name, date of birth (DOB), and FamLink case number.
    3. Contact information of the individuals being invited.
    4. Copies of home studies of the selected prospective adoptive placements.
4. RAPMs or designees must:
  1. Schedule Selection Committees and invite the following:
    1. CFWS or adoption caseworker and their supervisor.
    2. Adoption Unit representative for CFWS cases.
    3. GAL.
    4. Child’s or youth’s attorney, if appointed.
    5. Youth, if developmentally appropriate.
    6. Tribal representative, if tribe is involved in the case.
    7. Others involved in the child’s or youth’s case plan, as determined by the caseworker, e.g. therapists, child placing agencies (CPA), caregivers.
  2. Facilitate the Selection Committee by following the Recruitment Strategies and Placement Considerations Flowchart CWP_0076 publication.
  3. Provide the Home Study Review and Placement Considerations CWP_0064 publication to the Selection Committee members to use during the selection committee process.
  4. Complete the Shared Planning Meeting DCYF 14-474 form to document reasons for selecting the prospective adoptive family instead of the other families being considered.
Selecting a Different Family than Recommended by the Selection Committee
1. CFWS caseworkers or adoption caseworkers must complete the following if they choose a different prospective adoptive family than the Selection Committee recommended:
  1. Document the reasons for not following the Selection Committee’s recommendation in a FamLink case note, that includes:
    1. The child’s or youth’s attachment with the caseworker’s selected prospective adoptive family.
    2. The prospective adoptive family’s:
      1. Ability to:
        
        To meet the:
        
        Cultural and ethnic needs of the child or youth.
        
        Special needs of the child or youth, including but not limited to, medical, behavioral, and mental health.
        
        Protect the child or youth from risk of harm from their birth parents or guardians, while not portraying them in a negative manner.
      2. Willingness to provide long-term contact with siblings, relatives, former foster families, or other individuals important to the child or youth when the contact is in their best interest.
      3. For prospective adoptive families that are relatives to the child or youth, they must also include the relatives’ relationship with the child or youth.
    3. Other factors influencing their decision.
  2. Provide the following to the area administrator (AA) for review:
    1. Selection Committee’s recommendation.
    2. Documentation to override the Selection Committee’s recommendation.
2. AAs receiving the request to override the Selection Committee’s recommendations must review the records provided. If:
  1. Approved, send the following to the deputy regional administrator (DRA):
    1. Selection Committee’s recommendation.
    2. Documentation to override the Selection Committee’s recommendation.
  2. Denied, return the request to the caseworker with the reason for the denial.
3. DRAs receiving the request to override the Selection Committee’s recommendations must review the records provided. If:
  1. Approved, send the confirmation email to the AA and requestor.
  2. Denied, notify the AA and caseworker of the reason for the denial.
4. CFWS caseworkers or adoption caseworkers must document the DRAs decision in a FamLink case note.
Notifications After Selecting the Adoptive Home
CFWS or adoption caseworkers must notify the following and document in the Adoption Referral section under the Potential Matches tab in FamLink, within ten calendar days after the adoptive family has been selected:
1. All families who were considered for placement.
2. Northwest Adoptions Exchange (NWAE) and all other exchanges the child or youth is on, to place their profile on hold, until the adoption is finalized.
Prospective Adoptive Families Residing in Washington State and Out-of-State
1. CFWS or adoption caseworkers must complete the following when the selected prospective adoptive family resides in Washington State or out-of-state:
  1. Develop a transition and visitation plan to initiate contact and start developing a relationship between the child or youth and prospective adoptive family. The plan must be developed in collaboration with the:
    1. Child or youth, if developmentally appropriate.
    2. GAL.
    3. Prospective adoptive family.
    4. Tribe, as applicable.
  2. Facilitate visitation between the prospective adoptive family and child or youth by:
    1. Selecting the location of the visits.
    2. Attending or designating an individual to accompany the child or youth on the initial visit with whom they feel comfortable.
    3. Discussing separately after each visit with the child or youth and the prospective adoptive family to determine whether continued transition and placement remains in the child’s or youth’s best interest. This includes documenting the conversations in a FamLink case note.
    4. Coordinating open contact between the prospective adoptive family and the child’s or youth’s current caregiver, if appropriate.
  3. Schedule a Family Team Decision Making (FTDM) meeting prior to placing the child or youth in a new home. If the FTDM recommends placement with the prospective adoptive family, follow the Placement Out-of-Home and Conditions for Return Home policy.
2. CFWS and adoption caseworkers must complete the following when the selected prospective adoptive family resides out-of-state:
  1. Follow the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) Placed-Out-of-State policy.
  2. Receive the ICPC Placement Request 100A DCYF 15-092 form from the sending state that is approved for adoption, prior to placing the child or youth out-of-state.
3. CFWS caseworkers or adoption caseworkers must request an Adoption Purchase of Services (POS) contract by emailing the statewide adoption program manager the following information when the prospective adoptive family’s out-of-state agency requires payments for services such as monthly health and safety visits, adoption services, or adoption finalization:
  1. Child’s or youth’s name, DOB, and FamLink case number.
  2. Agency name, contact information, and email.
  3. SPM or Selection Committee documentation identifying the family as the selected prospective adoptive family.
  4. Copy of the prospective adoptive family’s home study.
  5. Child’s or youth’s transition plan.
  6. Additional services for the prospective adoptive family and child or youth, if needed.
4. The statewide adoption program manager must complete the following when they receive POS information from caseworkers:
  1. Facilitate a contract with the receiving out-of-state agency for the payment of the required out-of-state costs.
  2. Notify caseworkers when contracts are approved.
5. CFWS or adoption caseworkers must follow the ICPC process for placing children or youth out-of-state after receiving notification from the statewide adoption program manager that the POS is completed with the receiving out-of-state agency.
Prospective Adoptive Families Not Supported by DCYF
CFWS or adoption caseworkers must:
1. Follow the Placement Moves policy when notifying the caregiver of the child’s or youth’s change in placement, if appropriate.
2. Request a placement change with the court when DCYF does not support adoption with the child’s or youth’s current placement. If the court continues placement:
  1. File a copy of the denied home study in Superior Court under the adoption petition cause number following the local court procedures, if applicable.
  2. Provide the prospective adoptive family:
    1. Disclosure.
    2. Contact information for adoption support.
3. Notify the prospective adoptive family that they are responsible for completing and submitting the required adoption support and adoption finalization documentation.
4. Document the notification to the family in a FamLink case note.
5. Follow requirements for ongoing case management, including but not limited to:
  1. Court reports
  2. Health and safety visits
  3. Service referrals
  4. Sibling visits
  5. SPMs
Adoption Recruitment Activities
1. CFWS or adoption caseworkers must complete the following when there are children or youth without an identified adoptive placement:
  1. Contact individuals from the original relatives search and request another relative search from the Relative Search Unit.
  2. Follow the Kinship Care: Searching for, Placing with, and Supporting Relatives and Suitable Other Persons policy.
  3. Participate in efforts following the Child-Specific Recruitment Services in Washington State CWP_0054 publication to recruit families who want to adopt children or youth in the placement care and authority of DCYF.
  4. Create a WA Access account through NWAE to view children or youth to assist in finding permanent homes for children or youth.
  5. Inform families of WA Access registration and how to create an account to:
    1. View children or youth available for adoption.
    2. Allow caseworkers to view their family profile when seeking adoptive homes for children or youth.
2. Adoption caseworkers must provide adoption information and resources to prospective adoptive families and caseworkers as applicable, including, but not limited to:
  1. The court process.
  2. Children’s or youth’s development, including bonding and attachment, and separation and loss issues.
  3. Interaction with the child’s or youth's family that may include visitation and an OAA or Letter of Intent.
  4. Confidentiality of information.
  5. Impact of placement on the foster-adoptive or adoptive family.
  6. Adoption as a lifelong process and commitment.
  7. The significance of adoption in permanency planning for children or youth in foster care and that the primary focus of adoption services is the child or youth.
  8. Adoption process requirements and procedures, and the differences between foster, adoptive, and foster-adoptive placements.
  9. Available resources for children or youth with special needs.
  10. The legal risks involved in:
    1. Foster-adoptive placements prior to TPR.
    2. Placement of legally-free children or youth under an appeal for the TPR.
  11. Adoption support by providing the link to the Adoption Support for Caregivers E-Learning or contact information for the adoption support consultants.