Agency record · 5 cases on file

Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families

DCYF

Combined child welfare, early learning, and juvenile rehabilitation agency created in 2017. Registry cases include the Oakley Carlson fatality review, multiple Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds annual findings, and federal payment-compliance issues raised by the Single Audit.

  1. WA-2026-DCYF · Mar 30, 2026 · Documented · $413M
    The Washington State Auditor's Office (SAO) FY2024 Single Audit, released in March 2025, issued a disclaimer opinion on DCYF's Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) program — meaning auditors could not form any opinion whatsoever on…
    Structural failure
  2. WA-2024-DCYF-OAKLEY-CARLSON · Feb 18, 2026 · Documented
    Oakley Carlson was born in 2016 and came into contact with the child welfare system through a series of referrals predating her birth — reports of concerns about her parents' drug use and domestic violence. Over approximately eight years,…
    Civil rights harmStructural failure
  3. WA-2025-TORT-AGGREGATE · Jan 19, 2025 · Documented · $500M
    This is an aggregate pattern case, not a single lawsuit or settlement. It documents Sen. Gildon's January 2025 compilation of state agency tort payouts drawn from Office of Risk Management data, released to support SB 5144, which would…
    Aggregate liability
  4. WA-2024-DCYF-OFCO-FATALITIES · Dec 31, 2024 · Documented
    OFCO publishes an annual Critical Incident Report documenting child fatalities and near-fatalities reviewed during the prior calendar year. These reports are the primary independent tracking mechanism for child deaths connected to the…
    Civil rights harmStructural failure
  5. WA-2024-DCYF-OFCO-FINDINGS · Nov 1, 2024 · Documented
    OFCO is the independent ombuds office responsible for investigating complaints about DCYF services and issuing formal adverse findings when the agency's actions fall short of legal or policy requirements. The 2024 Annual Report documents…
    Structural failureCivil rights harm