Foster Parents Association of Washington State - FPAWS

10/27/2026

What exactly is foster care? 💛

Foster care provides a safe, supportive, and temporary home for children who cannot live with their biological families for a period of time.

It’s about giving children stability, care, and a sense of belonging while their families work through difficult circumstances. Every child deserves to feel safe, valued, and loved.

✨ Foster care isn’t about replacing a family—it’s about showing up for a child when they need support.

Save this post to learn more about foster care and help spread awareness.

10/18/2026

Protecting children from fentanyl exposure should not depend on where they live in Washington.

It is unfortunate that our cities and counties are having to take matters into their own hands because our state laws are not adequately addressing this growing crisis.

I applaud Spokane County for stepping up, but protecting children from dangerous drugs should be a statewide priority, not something left to individual local governments.

As a member of the Senate Law & Justice Committee and a longtime advocate for child welfare, I believe we must do better.

That is why, next legislative session, I will sponsor legislation that addresses this issue head-on, strengthens accountability, and gives law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to protect vulnerable children.

Our children deserve action, not excuses.

10/10/2026

We started this week with one question:
Are children safer?

And we’re ending with another:
How many times is too many?

In 2025, 19.3% of Washington children with a screened-in CPS referral had already had five or more prior screened-in referrals.

That’s nearly 1 in 5.
In 2019, it was 13%.
In just six years, that percentage increased by almost 50%.

Five previous screened-in referrals does not automatically tell us what happened in a family.

It does tell us something important:

There is a history. And history should matter.

At some point, repeated CPS involvement should trigger a deeper question than whether the newest allegation independently meets a threshold.

We should be asking:
What has this child experienced over time?
What interventions have already been tried?
Why hasn't the trajectory changed?
What does this child need now?

Keeping Kids SAFE believes child welfare policy should recognize cumulative risk and cumulative harm, not just danger at a single moment in time.

Because children only get one childhood.

Ask the questions with us.

💙 Awareness. Advocacy. Action.

It’s a grown-up’s job to keep kids safe.

10/09/2026

If you’re new here, start here. 💙

Meet FPAWS - Foster Parents’ Association of Washington State.

We’re here to support, connect, collaborate, educate, and advocate for foster, adoptive, bio and kinship families and to help create stronger, safer, and simple systems and communities for children, youth and their foster families.

Because foster families shouldn’t have to navigate the journey alone. Every family deserves connection, resources, encouragement, and a community that shows up. 🤝

This is who we are. This is why we exist. And this is just the beginning.

👉 Follow FPAWS for education, events, training, resources, stories, updates, and ways to get involved.
📲 Share this post with someone who supports foster families.

Together, we can build a stronger community for foster families and better futures for kids. 💙

09/20/2026

🚌 HELP US BRING WASHINGTON TO OLYMPIA

We don’t want February 6 to be a rally representing just one community.

We want Washington there.

Families. Foster parents. Kinship caregivers. Social workers. Service providers. Advocates. People with lived experience. Community organizations. And everyday Washingtonians who believe children deserve to be safe.

That means we have work to do.

Keeping Kids SAFE is working to make transportation available from communities across Washington so that the cost and distance of getting to Olympia don’t prevent people from having a voice.

We’re looking for individuals, businesses and organizations willing to help sponsor transportation to the Capitol.

Whether you can help fund a seat, support a bus or connect us with a potential sponsor, we want to hear from you.

Contribution to cost of charter busses can be made here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/voices-to-olympia

📅 February 6, 2027
📍 Washington State Capitol

Help us bring Washington to Olympia.

09/19/2026

09/19/2026

We ship items to kids in foster care 2x a year!

07/12/2026

J.T. was just 3 months old.

His family already had an open child welfare case.

There had been 8 reports to DCYF, concerns about fentanyl use before birth, minimal prenatal care, a Plan of Safe Care, ongoing substance use concerns, and referrals that he may have been exposed to fentanyl through breastfeeding.

Despite all of that, J.T. died with fatal levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system.

This tragedy isn’t just about one heartbreaking case. It’s about asking difficult questions:

How many warning signs should it take before a child is protected?

The Child Fatality Review identified opportunities for better coordination, earlier reassessment as risks increased, stronger follow-up, and improved collaboration. Those recommendations matter.

We also believe these cases highlight a larger conversation about whether our child welfare system has the legal tools necessary to act before a foreseeable danger becomes a fatal one.

Children cannot advocate for themselves. They depend on adults—and on the systems we’ve built—to recognize serious risks and intervene before tragedy strikes.

J.T. deserved that chance.

Every child deserves a safe start.

💙 Please share this infographic to help keep the focus where it belongs: protecting children before it’s too late.

07/09/2026

Foster Hearts in Bellingham!