While the number of child deaths in the state's child welfare system has been declining, an audit dampened the promising trends.
An accountability audit released Monday reported the Department of Children, Youth and Families, in most areas, complied, in all material respects" with state law and its policies. But state auditors from July 2024 through June 2025 identified "weaknesses" in gift card spending, child abuse forensic interview training and unlicensed childcare center investigations.
In a similar response to a July review of the administration of juvenile rehabilitation, department officials attributed failings, in part, to a lack of resources, a refrain that's been echoed by child welfare workers. In September, state agencies will submit their budget requests to the governor, and the department has said it plans to ask for more staff for child welfare and juvenile rehabilitation teams.
On a positive note, the state's child welfare system experienced a dramatic decrease in the number of children who died. Among child fatalities and near fatalities that were due to maltreatment and had department involvement in the year prior, a 63% decrease was seen in the first quarter of 2026, compared to the first quarter of 2025.
In two of the 33 Child Protective Services investigations the audit examined, child welfare workers who had not completed child abuse interview training conducted interviews. By not overseeing the training, the audit said, the department may not have properly conducted forensic interviews, which breaks state law.
Separately, the DCYF has a gift card program to pay for food for children in the department's custody, as well as for transportation expenses related to medical appointments or visitations. The department is responsible for tracking gift card use and inventories, but some offices did not complete inventories or adequately document distributing gift cards. DCYF's MLK Jr. office in Seattle "did not have an adequate system to store and locate records" regarding gift cards, the audit report stated.
The department said it is in the process of hiring a purchase card administrator to provide additional oversight.
The audit randomly selected and examined the department's investigations of 25 unlicensed childcare centers and found that, in less than a quarter of those investigations, complaint responses and unannounced visits were initiated late. In three investigations, the department sent notice to providers before what were supposed to be unannounced visits, and it failed to post information about providers being unlicensed for five investigations. In a response, the department said it did not have enough staff and resources to always meet timelines.
In a statement sent to The Seattle Times, DCYF officials said it takes "these recommendations seriously and [has] already taken steps to address" the findings, including providing additional training for staff and strengthening accountability and internal controls.
According to the department, the number of licensed childcare providers has grown by 27.5% since the end of 2021. During that same period, DCYF hasn't received additional money for more licensing staff. In its request to the governor's office for the 2027-2029 budget, DCYF plans to ask for a specialized unit with 17 positions to focus on licensing accountability and compliance.
Last month, a legislative audit of juvenile rehabilitation said nearly half of front-line staff at youth detention facilities left within one year, and recommended that the Legislature either address overcrowding issues by adding capacity or change statutes so DCYF can reduce its population.
In a response to that report, the department said capacity and staffing issues can be chalked up to dramatic changes in the juvenile rehabilitation population, largely as a result of "JR to 25" — a series of state laws passed in 2018 and 2019 that allow young people convicted of crimes they committed as children to stay in juvenile rehabilitation until they’re 25.
Secretary Tana Senn said at the time that the issues demand additional funding or policy change from the Legislature.
"DCYF cannot address overcrowding without their help, Senn said.
© 2026 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
