The vision of Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is to ensure that "Washington state's children and youth grow up safe and healthy - thriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community.” To promote fairness and respect, DCYF created the Service Access and Civil Rights program. This program ensures that everyone is treated equally and respectfully, no matter their background, ethnicity, or identity.
DCYF is committed to providing equal services, program access, and information to everyone no matter their race, color, creed/religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability status, use of a dog guide or service animal, citizenship or immigration status, or pregnancy or breastfeeding status.
The goal of the Civil Rights program is for everyone who works with DCYF to feel respected, understood, and treated fairly.
The program:
- Makes sure DCYF follows state and federal civil rights laws.
- Trains staff on these laws and how to follow them.
- Offers a clear process for filing complaints if someone thinks they have been discriminated against based on protected class.
Because DCYF receives public funding, it must ensure that all people can access its services and that any concerns about unfair treatment are reviewed properly. This program is dedicated to supporting staff, families, clients, partners, and the public by making sure everyone is heard, valued, and respected.
Our work includes:
- Language access
- Helping people with disabilities get the accommodation or personalized services they need
- Preventing discrimination against protected classes and investigating reports of discrimination from the public
We are also a resource to help staff to provide fair and equitable services to everyone.
We provide:
- Training on issues related to language services, reasonable modification for people with disabilities, and non-discrimination
- Help for staff with questions about civil rights, reasonable modification, and language access
- Written and online resources on disability issues, civil rights and discrimination compliance, and language services
Service Access and Civil Rights does not collect information on immigration or citizenship status, Nor do we report any information about citizenship or immigration status to the federal government or law enforcement.
En el departamento de Acceso a los servicios y derechos civiles (Service Access and Civil Rights) no recopilamos información sobre el estado migratorio o de ciudadanía; tampoco compartimos ninguna información sobre el estado migratorio o de ciudadanía con el gobierno federal ni con las fuerzas policiales.