ICPC State Pages

Washington Home Studies (Adoption/Foster Care/Kinship/Parent/Relative)

Types of Home Studies

Washington conducts the following types of home studies:

• Relative Care
• Foster Care
• Parent Care
• Foster- Adopt
• Adoption
• Other

Washington designates staff in each county/region to conduct home studies and/or process interstate placements:

• Yes

Washington considers a home study as current/valid for:

• Public: 1 year
• Private: 1 year

Private Contract Services - Home Study

As the Sending State, Washington will pay a contractor or private/independent agency in the Receiving State to conduct a home study:

• Other: Washington may pay a contractor or a private/independent agency to conduct a home study. Prior approval is required and it is done on a case by case basis.

As the Receiving State, Washington will permit a Sending state to pay a contractor or private/independent agency in the Receiving State to conduct a home study:

• Other: The contractor or agency must be a licensed Child Placing Agency in Washington state, that foster licenses homes.

As the Receiving State, Washington will accept/update a home study that was not originally conducted by the receiving state or a private contractor acting on behalf of the Receiving State:

• Will not Update or Accept

Adoptive Home Study

Home study for adoption conducted prior to Termination of Parental Rights (TPR):

• Yes

Prospective adoptive parents permitted to pay for a pre-adoptive home study:

• Private Adoptions: Yes
• Independent Adoptions: Yes

DCPS contracts for Purchase of Services with private agencies in other states:

• Yes

Foster Care Home Study

Home study for foster care conducted prior to Termination of Parental Rights (TPR):

• Yes

Parent Home Study

If child has been removed from the parent, Washington requires a home study evaluation before reunification:

Non-Custodial Parents: Placements with non-custodial parents are not covered under the ICPC if:

Proof of Paternity is required:

• Yes: Paternity Results

Relative/Kinship Home Study

Home study for relatives conducted prior to Termination of Parental Rights (TPR):

• Yes

Define Relative:

• Any blood relative, including those of half-blood, and including first cousins, second cousins, nephews or nieces, and persons of preceding generations as denoted by prefixes of grand, great, or great-great;

       (ii) Stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, and stepsister;

       (iii) A person who legally adopts a child or the child's parent as well as the natural and other legally adopted children of such persons, and other relatives of the adoptive parents in accordance with state law;

       (iv) Spouses of any persons named in (i), (ii), or (iii) of this subsection (2)(a), even after the marriage is terminated;

       (v) Relatives, as named in (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) of this subsection (2)(a), of any half sibling of the child; or

       (vi) Extended family members, as defined by the law or custom of the Indian child's tribe or, in the absence of such law or custom, a person who has reached the age of eighteen and who is the Indian child's grandparent, aunt or uncle, brother or sister, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, niece or nephew, first or second cousin, or stepparent who provides care in the family abode on a twenty-four-hour basis to an Indian child as defined in 25 U.S.C. Sec. 1903(4);

Relatives must be licensed:

• No

Proof of Paternity is required:

• Yes : Paternity Results

Washington considers the following types and degrees of relation as relative placements. Individuals related in the 1st degree, 2nd degree, 3rd degree and 4th degree (You may need to refer to your state's consanguinity chart or state statute to determine relations or relative status.):

• 1st Degree (mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter)
• 2nd Degree (grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, first cousin)
• 3rd Degree (great grandmother, great grandfather, great aunt, great uncle, grand-niece, grand nephew, second cousin)
• 4th Degree (great, great-grandmother, great, great-grandfather, great, great aunt, great, great aunt, great, great uncle, great grand-niece, great grand nephew, third cousin)
• Godmother, Godfather
• Other

Regulation 7 Priority Placement

Washington performs priority placements:

• No

A court ordered Priority 7 conducted if the child is in a DCF shelter or foster home for substantial period of time.

Wait Time (ICPC Interstate Home Study) - Public

Average length of time to process and complete a home study with criminal background checks for an interstate placement (Not including completion of educational training):

• 60 days

Wait time to complete Home Study, only (without criminal records check):

• 60 days

Wait Time (ICPC Interstate Home Study) - Private

Average length of time to process and complete a home study with criminal background checks for an interstate placement (Not including completion of education training):

• 60 days

Wait time to complete Home Study, only (without criminal records check):

• 60 days

Washington determines the "Date of Receipt" for an interstate home study as:

• Date of the 100A

Method of requesting, sending, and/or reporting an interstate home study

Criminal Record Checks

Washington requires criminal background checks for the following home studies:

• Foster Care
• Relative Care
• Relative-Foster Care
• Foster-Adopt
• Adoption
• Parent

Type of Checks (Crim. & Abuse Neglect Registry)

Washington requires the following types of criminal background and perpetrator checks (Federal (F), State (S), Local (L), Abuse and Neglect Registry (ANR), Not Required (NR))

Wait Time for Criminal Records Results

Wait time for fingerprint results are:

Live Scan or other technology

• State: 15-30 days
• Local/County: 15-30 days

Manually - Fingerprint Card

• State: 15-30 days
• Local/County: 15-30 days