The dependency process, stage by stage.

01

When DCYF first contacts you

A call or letter from Child Protective Services is frightening, and what you do in that first conversation can shape the rest of the case. A report is not a finding. It means someone raised a concern the agency is required to look into.

02

The home visit

A worker coming into your home to assess your living conditions feels invasive. Knowing what they are actually looking for — and what you can decline — changes how the visit goes.

03

Safety plans and voluntary placement

These are often presented as the softer alternative to court. They still carry real consequences, and you are being asked to agree to something. Understand it before you sign.

04

If your child is an Indian child

Federal and Washington Indian child welfare law apply from the very beginning of a case, not just at trial. They raise the standard for removal, require the tribe to be notified, and change where a child may be placed.

05

The Family Team Decision Meeting

An FTDM happens fast, often within a few days of a major decision, and it is one of the few places where what you say can change the outcome before a judge is involved. Go prepared.

06

The shelter care hearing

Held promptly after a child is removed — generally within 72 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.

This is your first chance to be heard by a judge and the first chance to ask for your child to come home. It happens quickly, often before you feel ready.

07

Fact-finding and disposition

Fact-finding is generally set within 75 days of the petition being filed.

Fact-finding decides whether your child is legally dependent. Disposition decides what you must do about it. Together they set the terms of the next year of your life.

08

Your case plan and parenting programs

Not all parenting programs are the same. Being referred to the wrong one costs months and proves nothing. Knowing what each program is for lets you ask for the right one.

09

Review hearings

Held at least every six months while the case is open.

The court returns to your case on a schedule to look at what has actually happened. These hearings are where a record of steady progress is built — or where its absence becomes visible.

10

The permanency planning hearing

Held no later than twelve months after a child is placed out of home.

At this point the court is no longer only monitoring. It is deciding what your child’s permanent situation should be. Reunification is still on the table, but the timeline is now working against delay.

11

Reunification

Reunification is usually gradual rather than a single day. Visits expand, then the child comes home under supervision, then the case closes. Each step has to hold.

12

Guardianship, adoption, and other outcomes

Not every case ends with a child coming home. Guardianship, adoption, and other permanent arrangements differ in one respect that matters enormously: whether your parental rights remain.

13

Appeals and other remedies

A notice of appeal is generally due within 30 days of the order. Talk to your lawyer immediately.

If you believe the court got it wrong, there are ways to challenge it — but appellate deadlines are short and unforgiving. This is the stage where waiting is the most expensive thing you can do.

14

Moving forward

However the case ended, it is not the last chapter. What holds afterward is routine, support, and documentation — the same things that mattered during the case.