Washington Administrative Code

Licensees must meet the following immunization requirements:(1) Follow the childhood immunization requirements as outlined in WAC 246-105-030 for all children and youth in their care, except if they are licensed as interim facilities, CRCs, or GRCs;(2) Verify that department chil…

(1) Licensees must comply with the following to prevent communicable disease:(a) Prohibit personnel with a contagious disease as defined in WAC 246-110-010 from being on duty until they are no longer in an infectious stage as determined by:(i) CDC guidelines;(ii) The local health…

(1) Licensees must:(a) Develop and follow policies and procedures approved by the department on accepting, storing, and disposing of medication; and(b) Arrange to have an RN or a licensed health care provider help develop and periodically review their policies and procedures in (…

(1) At least one direct care staff or direct care volunteer who has completed medication training approved by the department and is able to dispense and complete the medication documentation must be on duty when children and youth are present.(2) The following individuals are all…

Licensees must prohibit:(1) Possession or use of alcohol, marijuana, or illegal drugs on the premises; and(2) Personnel under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or illegal drugs from having contact with children or youth in care.[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.15.030. WSR 25-23-10…

(1) Licensees:(a) Must not allow smoking or vaping inside the building or while transporting children or youth in motor vehicles; and(b) May permit adults 21 years old or older to smoke or vape on the premises outdoors away from children and youth, per RCW 70.160.075.(2) This sec…

During each shift, licensees must:(1) Keep the following documentation current and available to personnel:(a) Incident logs, including:(i) A copy of any suspected child abuse or neglect referrals made to the department; and(ii) All related incident reports;(b) Any identified supe…

Licensees must meet the following privacy requirements for children and youth in their care, except as stated in subsection (2) of this section:(1) Allow children and youth in care to:(a) Have privacy of communication as appropriate to their developmental capabilities, including:…

Licensees must support children and youth in care in maintaining relationships with family and supportive individuals, except for interim facilities, by:(1) Obtaining and documenting in the child and youth well-being file as outlined in WAC 110-145-2890:(a) Following the instruct…

Licensees must take the following actions to support children's and youth's socialization and participation in activities:(1) Support children and youth in care to develop positive relationships with peers as appropriate to their developmental capabilities;(2) Allow children and …

Licensees must meet the following requirements for children's and youth's cultural needs:(1) Maintain an environment that is inclusive and respectful of their cultures, including meeting all the requirements of WAC 110-145-3060 if applicable;(2) Allow and assist their participati…

Licensees must:(1) Provide culturally-appropriate services to Indian children and their families;(2) Collaborate with the children's or youth's tribes when repairing, replacing, or providing culturally significant items;(3) Obtain approval from children's and youth's tribal casew…

Licensees must comply with the following regarding children's and youth's use of technology:(1) Develop and follow technology usage policies and procedures approved by the department that include the following, as applicable:(a) A description of the allowed access and use by chil…

(1) School-aged children and youth must attend an accredited school or vocational program while placed in the licensee's care, except for those in interim facilities or the EFC program.(2) Licensees must support school-aged children and youth in care in earning credits toward gra…

Licensees must meet the following allowance, chores, and employment requirements for children and youth appropriate to their age and developmental capabilities. They:(1) Must:(a) Provide an opportunity for children and youth to receive a money or a money substitute allowance for …

(1) Licensees must:(a) Provide or arrange for children and youth in care to have culturally appropriate items needed for grooming and personal hygiene; and(b) Keep toxic hygiene products inaccessible as outlined in WAC 110-145-2450.(2) Direct care staff or direct care volunteers …

(1) Licensees must comply with the rules and regulations of the state board of health governing food service sanitation for food service facilities, food storage, food handling, and preparation practices.(2) Personnel who prepare and serve food must have a food worker card as out…

Licensees when providing meals and snacks for children and youth:(1) Must:(a) Verify personnel are aware of each child's and youth's dietary restrictions in a manner that maintains the child's and youth's privacy; and(b) Complete the following, except facilities caring for medica…

Licensees when serving milk or formula must:(1) Serve infants formula or breast milk unless a licensed health care provider provided written authorization requiring a different liquid for the infant;(2) Receive approval from the infant's or child's licensed health care provider o…

When caring for infants and toddlers, licensees:(1) Must:(a) Hold infants at times other than feeding for the purposes of comfort and attention;(b) Allow infants and toddlers plenty of free time outside of a swing, crib, or playpen; and(c) Not use wheeled baby walkers; and(2) May…

(1) Licensees:(a) Must:(i) Separate areas where diapers or incontinence supplies are changed from food preparation and dining areas;(ii) Have diaper changing areas that are adjacent to a handwashing sink;(iii) Regularly monitor a child's or youth's diaper or training pants during…

Licensees providing transportation must:(1) Provide transportation that is safe, reliable, and in compliance with law and contract requirements;(2) Verify:(a) Drivers of the vehicles:(i) Have a valid driver's license; and(ii) Are covered under an automobile liability insurance po…

Licensees must:(1) Get written approval from the child's or youth's representatives prior to any travel over 72 hours or any out-of-country travel; and(2) Consult with tribes prior to traveling with tribal children as outlined in WAC 110-145-3060.[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.15.0…

(1) Licensees may serve youth enrolled in the EFC program, per chapter 110-90 WAC. Licensees who serve these youth:(a) Must assist them in meeting their educational and vocational goals after secondary school by providing guidance and connecting them with resources as appropriate…

Licensees must develop and follow policies and procedures that are approved by the department that describe their behavior management methods and meet the following requirements:(1) Comply with department-approved behavior management trainings;(2) Use behavior management methods …

(1) Licensees must:(a) Not use:(i) Physical restraints:(A) To redirect or de-escalate a situation, unless the child's or youth's behaviors pose an immediate risk to the physical safety of themselves or another individual or serious property damage. If restraint is necessary, it m…

Facilities licensed as CRCs must meet the following staffing requirements:(1) In addition to the requirements in WAC 110-145-2690 and 110-145-2830, direct care staff and direct care volunteers must meet at least one of the following criteria:(a) To work in a secure CRC, have:(i) …

Facilities licensed as:(1) CRCs must follow the maximum length-of-stay requirements outlined in RCW 43.185C.290;(2) Secure CRCs may be licensed to provide care to youth ages 12 through 17 years old who meet one of the following criteria:(a) Youth ordered by the court to be placed…

Facilities must do the following after a youth has been admitted when licensed as:(1) Secure CRCs:(a) Evaluate the youth's likelihood to remain in the facility within the first 24 hours after admission and each 24 hours thereafter using the criteria outlined in RCW 43.185C.290;(b…

(1) Licensees must develop and follow transfer policies and procedures when transferring youth from one CRC to another.(2) Licensees must complete the following after deciding that a youth needs to be transferred from one type of CRC to another:(a) Obtain approval from the depart…

Facilities licensed as CRCs must:(1) Document the time the youth was admitted to the facility into their well-being file;(2) Send a written summary addressing the following information to the youth's department caseworker, if applicable, within seven calendar days of the youth be…

Facilities licensed as CRCs must:(1) Provide or arrange, at a minimum, the following support and services to reduce high-risk behaviors and increase children's and youth's stability:(a) An assessment of the family to develop a treatment plan for the youth;(b) Family counseling fo…

Licensees must:(1) Follow the requirements outlined in chapter 43.185C RCW regarding multidisciplinary teams after youth are admitted to CRCs; and(2) Maintain records relating to multidisciplinary teams for at least six years.[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.15.030. WSR 25-23-103, s …

Facilities licensed as secure CRCs:(1) Must, in addition to the requirements in WAC 110-145-2430:(a) Limit exiting from the premises by one of the following methods:(i) Windows and doors that allow exit but have a nonscalable perimeter fence around the premises. This fence must b…

Licensees operating both a juvenile detention center and a separate secure CRC at the same location must have buildings that prevent:(1) Direct communication or physical contact between residents of the secure CRC and individuals held in the detention facility; and(2) Personnel a…

Facilities licensed as ERCs must obtain the following information before accepting children or youth into their care:(1) Permission from the children's or youth's parents or guardians authorizing placement and emergency medical care or surgery on behalf of the child or youth;(2) …

Facilities licensed as ERCs must follow the requirements for services outlined in RCW 74.15.020.[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.15.030. WSR 25-23-103, s 110-145-3310, filed 11/18/25, effective 5/1/26.]

GRCs:(1) Must have at least one staff member that meets direct care qualifications on duty and available ready to accept placements 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and(2) May choose to not be operating if there are no children or youth in care as long as a staff member is on-c…

Facilities licensed as GRCs may be licensed:(1) To provide care for children or youth in one of the following age groups:(a) Two through five years old;(b) Six through 12 years old; or(c) Thirteen through 17 years old; and(2) For more than one age group, including children under …

Facilities licensed as GRCs:(1) Must:(a) Provide direct receiving care;(b) Assess children's or youth's physical, mental, social, and emotional conditions; and(c) Provide or arrange transportation to school for school-age children and youth in care.(2) May:(a) Provide family supp…

Facilities licensed as OYSs:(1) May be licensed to provide care for youth in one of the following age groups:(a) Thirteen through 17 years old; or(b) Sixteen through 20 years old; and(2) Must notify law enforcement or department intake of any child 12 years of age or younger who …

Facilities licensed as OYSs must:(1) Only accept placements from youth if they self-refer; (2) Not accept placement from licensed kinship caregivers or foster parents;(3) In addition to the requirements in WAC 110-145-2850, assess each youth's:(a) Physical and medical needs, incl…

Facilities licensed as OYSs:(1) Must operate during overnight hours; and(2) May choose to be open to offer services outside the scope of an OYS during daytime hours.[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.15.030. WSR 25-23-103, s 110-145-3370, filed 11/18/25, effective 5/1/26.]

Facilities licensed as OYSs must provide or refer youth to programs that offer the following services based on the youth's assessment outlined in WAC 110-145-3360:(1) Individual crisis intervention;(2) Assistance in accessing emergency resources, including CPS and emergency medic…

Facilities licensed as OYSs:(1) Must accept the use of sleeping equipment that is personally provided by the youth, unless it is a health or safety risk;(2) May use common sleeping areas for children and youth in care instead of bedrooms, as long as they:(a) Provide barriers to e…

Facilities licensed as OYSs must:(1) Store ammunition and other weapons brought onto the premises in a locked container that is inaccessible to children and youth in care until they either:(a) Return the ammunition or other weapons to the child or youth when discharged when allow…

OYSs must meet these citizen's board requirements:(1) Have a citizen's board that complies with laws and rules for nonprofit boards of directors. If the OYS is part of a larger agency that has a citizen's board, that board will suffice; and(2) Keep the following on file:(a) A lis…

Facilities licensed as RACs:(1) Must:(a) Be staffed primarily with trained volunteers, per RCW 74.15.311;(b) Have the licensee or a designee available by phone at all times when they are receiving new placements; and(2) May limit days and times of operations as outlined in RCW 74…

Facilities licensed as RACs:(1) Must follow the requirements outlined in RCW 74.15.311; and(2) May provide the following:(a) Referrals and provision of health care assessments or screenings;(b) Community service referrals, as needed; and(c) Initial assessment of children's or you…

Facilities licensed as SRHs:(1) Must not, at any time, exceed a capacity of six children and youth in care, which includes:(a) Those placed by the department;(b) Children of the youth in care;(c) Other children and youth living in the home; and(d) Any individuals enrolled in the …