Find an agency

Learn more about selecting an agency and starting the home study process.

A family or teenager smiling.

We’re so excited that you are ready to complete a home study. To take this important step, you’ll need to decide if you would like to have your home study done through your local child welfare agency run by the state or through a private nonprofit agency in your area. As you decide, we encourage you to interview agencies about their process. Agencies can have key differences such as their focus on foster care over adoption, cost, timelines, and ability to support out-of-state inquiries.

For information on choosing the right agency for your family, read our article, 5 questions to ask when interviewing agencies.

Click a state to learn more about your regional agencies and resources:

Washington
Oregon
Alaska
National


Washington

Adopting through Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)

If you want to get your home study through the state of Washington, you will also need to get your foster license. When you’re ready to get started, fill out the form to connect with a DCYF liaison who will directly assist you with the process. A liaison is a great resource to help you get signed up for classes, walk you through paperwork, and answer basic questions. You can learn more about adopting from foster care through the Department of Children, Youth, and Families on the DCYF website.

Child placement agencies in Washington

A Child Placing Agency (CPA) is an agency licensed by DCYF to complete home studies. These agencies share DCYF’s goal to reunify families, but also assist adoptive families when a youth’s permanency plan changes. If you choose a child placement agency to complete your home study, please ensure they are currently able to also license your family for foster care. The following agencies in the state of Washington are currently issuing foster licenses along with adoptive home studies, which is a current state requirement. To find your region, check out DCYF’s map.

Region 1
Region 2
Region 3
Region 4
Region 5
Region 6

Adoption-only agencies

The following agencies include international and/or domestic private adoptions. These agencies do not have foster care licensing programs and are unable to license families to adopt youth in foster care in Washington State.

Region 1
Region 3
Region 4
Region 5
Region 6


Oregon

Adopting through Oregon’s Department of Human Services (DHS)

Private agencies in Oregon


Alaska

Adopting through Alaska’s Office of Children’s Services (OCS)

Private agencies in Alaska


National

If you are interested in adopting from foster care but live outside of the Pacific Northwest, you will want to get connected to your local resources for further instructions on how to obtain a home study. AdoptUSKids provides great information regarding your local child welfare agencies, both public and private.