All children deserve safe and stable home environments. This is a particular challenge in the state's foster care system, which acts as guardian to about 8,000 children and youth on any given day.

The Children's Alliance has long been involved in efforts to reform Washington's foster care system, particularly by reducing the number of times children in the state's care move from home to home, ensuring that kids in foster care receive adequate and timely support services to help them thrive during and after foster care, and addressing the distressingly high percentage of children of color in the system.

With the Braam foster care lawsuit settled and the child welfare system under federal orders to improve, now is the time to act. The Children's Alliance advocates for adequate funding to reform the state's foster care system, invested without taking critical financial support away from prevention and early intervention programs.

New! 2008 Legislative Session Review: Foster Care (pdf)

2008 Legislative Session Review: Full Report (pdf)

Keep our Promises to Foster Kids! 2008 Child Welfare Policy Priorities

Download the 2008 Child Welfare Policy Paper (pdf)

2007 End of Session Report - PULLOUT SECTION: Improving Foster Care for All Children

2007 End of Session Report - FULL REPORT

• 2007 policy paper (pdf) - SCREEN version, best viewed on screen (color). PRINT version, best for printing (grayscale).
  
  
• What's happening now in foster care and child welfare: Read the Children's Alliance's child welfare policy paper for the 2006 legislative session (pdf)
  
  
  
• Read about the state Children's Administration plan to reform child welfare in Washington State
  
  
• Read the Braam class action lawsuit settlement



• Child Welfare System in Washington: learn facts about Washington's child welfare system and Washington's foster children.



• Learn about Washington state's children's mental health system. Read the Spokesman Review's comprehensive and compelling Fall 2002 series on "Lost Children":
  Lost Children Part 1a | Lost Children Part 1b | Lost Children Part 2a | Lost Children Part 2b | Lost Children Part 3 | Lost Children Part 4a | Lost Children Part 4b

Take Action

• Find out how you can act to improve the lives of children, and join our Children's Action Network

Key Partner Organizations

• Children's Home Society of Washington



• Casey Family Programs



• Foster Parents Association of Washington



• Office of the Family and Children's Ombudsman



• Washington State CASA



• Child Welfare League of America



• Braam Kids



• Braam Oversight Panel

Stakeholder Meeting

If you are interested in participating in a child welfare stakeholder meeting contact:

Child Welfare Advocates Coalition (CWAC) Meeting

Laurie Lippold
Children's Home Society of Washington
3300 N.E. 65th Street
Seattle, WA 98115-0190
Direct: (206) 695-3229
Fax: (206) 695-3201
LippoldLau@aol.com