Foster Parent Association of  Washington State

Who We Are History Childrens Administration Foster Care Month Letter to Members Area Support Groups Training Membership Conference Legislation WAC's The Board Links Youth FPAWS Gear Home

WHO WE ARE                       And are a part of 2007 The Foster Parents Association of Washington State (FPAWS) is a non-profit corporation chartered in 1973 providing support and services to foster families throughout the State of Washington. Our Association has evolved over the years to develop direct support for adoptive, foster and kinship parents as well as initiating legislative action for the betterment of foster and adoptive families.  We believe all children are entitled to a safe and nurturing family experience and families choosing to provide such experiences deserve the respect and support of the community. We support and are supported by many local Foster Parent Associations through out Washington State. ( See Web page " Area Support Groups") We are supported and are Members of the:- National Foster Parents Association - The NFPA is the national voice for foster parents and provides services to individual states to improve the services to foster parents throughout the country. NFPA holds an annual training conference in late April or May. Foster Care Month IS CELEBRATED NATIONWIDE IN MAY www.fostercaremonth.org History of Foster Care in the USA. Some of the earliest documentation of children being cared for in foster homes can be found in the Old Testament and in the Talmud. These references establish caring for dependent children as a duty under law. Early Christian church records also show children were boarded with "worthy widows" who were paid by collections from the congregation. It was English Poor Law, however, that lead to development and eventual regulation of family foster care in the United States. In 1562, these laws allowed the placement of poor children into indentured service until they came of age. This practice was imported to the United States and was the beginning of placing children into homes. Even though indentured service permitted abuse and exploitation, it was a step forward from almshouses where children did not learn a trade and were exposed to horrendous surroundings and unsavory adults. Various forms of indenturing children persisted into the first decade of this century. In 1636, less than thirty years after the founding of the Jamestown Colony, at the age of seven, BENJAMIN EATON became this nation's first foster child. In 1853, Charles Loring Brace began the free foster home movement. A minister and director of the New York Children's Aid Society, Brace was concerned about the large number of immigrant children sleeping in the streets of New York. He devised a plan to provide them homes by advertising in the South and West for families willing to provide free homes for these children, whether for charitable reasons or whatever help these children could be to them. In many cases, these children were placed in circumstances similar to indenture. However, Brace's daring and creative action became the foundation for the foster care movement as it exists today. As a result of the New York Children's Aid Society's placements, sectarian social agencies and state governments became involved in foster home placements. Three states led the movement. Massachusetts, prior to 1865, began paying board to families who took care of children too young to be indentured. Pennsylvania passed the first licensing law in 1885 which made it a misdemeanor to care for two or more unrelated children without a license. South Dakota began providing subsidies to the Children's Home Society after it was organized in 1893 for its public child care work During the early 1900's, social agencies began to supervise foster parents. Records were kept, children's individual needs were considered when placements were made, and the federal government began supporting state inspections of family foster homes. Services were provided to natural families to enable the child to return home and foster parents were now seen as part of a professional team working to find permanency for dependent children. Who CHILDRENS ADMINISTRATION Serves Thousands of children and families in Washington are impacted each year by services provided by the Children's Administration. Last year, one in 20 children in Washington was referred to Child Protective Services for suspected child abuse and neglect. They responded to those complaints of abuse and neglect by providing a broad spectrum of resources designed to balance the child's need for critical family connections with the need to protect them from those who might harm them. Over 3,500 families each month receive a variety of in-home services to support them in caring for their children and over 3,000 families are supported through adoption services. They are the largest adoption agency in the state and provide most of the adoption services to children with special needs. Nearly 17,000 children who could not remain with their own families were cared for by foster parents and group care facilities licensed by the Children's Administration. The administration licenses over 4,200 Children's Administration foster homes, over 1,700 private agency foster homes, and over 125 larger group facilities. Each month approximately 7,500 children are in paid out-of-home care and an additional 2,400 children are with relatives. Where CA serves them They provide individualized, culturally responsive services to families and children in the communities where they live, both in family homes and in licensed care. Voluntary services devoted to maintaining the family as a unit and preventing the out-of-home placement or runaway of adolescents are available 24 hours a day, including intake, assessment, and in-home counseling services. When serious and chronic issues prevent the safe placement of children in their own homes, Child Protective Services works in collaboration with law enforcement and the courts to assure safety for the child. Children are placed in out-of-home care settings to meet their medical, emotional, educational, and special needs, as close to their own families as possible. Over 20 percent of children in care are placed with relatives to preserve important family connections. Ongoing and frequent oversight of children in care, along with regular licensing reviews, assure consistent quality care to children. . Organization Structure Kids Come First Phase II gives us the strategy to improve practice and achieve statewide consistency. We are creating efficiencies, dedicating management resources, and aligning our organization to make it happen. Cheryl Stephani Assistant Secretary Children’s Administration Colleen Winter Executive Secretary Deborah Purce Executive Staff Director Provider Relations - Vacant Indian Child Welfare – Nancy Dufraine Communications – Chris Trujillo Special Projects – Ginny Heim Ross Dawson, Director Program & Practice Improvement John LaRocque, Director Finance & Oper. Support Steve Wickmark Director Field Services Dawn Tatman, Director Technology Services Quality Assurance Training Program & Policy Dev / Support Performance Improvement Plans Start-up Initiatives Fiscal / Budget Workforce Operations Federal Funding Contracts Decision Support (Data) SACWIS Project CAMIS Technical Field Support LAN / WAN CHILDREN’S ADMINISTRATION ORGANIZATIONAL CHART Division of Licensed Resources Central Intake Program Implementation Critical Incident / Risk Management CAPTA Division of Children & Family Serv. Interstate Compact SSI David Del Villar Fox Legislative Relations July 2006 Evidence-Based Programs – Dana Phelps

P.O.Box 1638,Olympia Wa 98507 Telephone: 800.391.2273 Fax: 360-786-9248 E-mail: captain46@comcast.net For web site information contact webmaster