COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance for Children and Youth in Care

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Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families sent this bulletin at 06/23/2021 09:56 AM PDT

Dear Parents, Foster Parents, Kinship Caregivers,

Children and youth in DCYF care who want the COVID-19 vaccination will be provided access to the vaccine with no barriers.

DCYF will engage and communicate with parents and guardians for up to six weeks to obtain consent for COVID-19 vaccination. If no consent is provided at the end of six weeks, the youth can decide whether to receive the vaccination. In some isolated cases, a court order may be required.

Youth in JR facilities who want the vaccine will receive doses through campus health programs, community vaccine resources, or primary health care providers.

Youth who decline will not be expected to receive the vaccination.

Key Points to Remember:

  • Caseworkers must obtain consent from parents for youth under 18 and must also obtain consent from youth who are 13 or older, as indicated in the attached chart, before facilitating the vaccine.
  • In some instances, a court order will be necessary. The caseworker will provide you a copy of the signed consent or the court order to allow the children and youth you are caring for to be vaccinated.
  • There are multiple variables that affect what consent is required, so it is important for you to talk to the child’s caseworker. The chart at the end of this document is a tool to help you understand what consent may or may not be required.

Steps for Getting Child/Youth Vaccinated

  • Consult with the caseworker to gather the required consent(s) and documentation.
  • Documents the caseworker will provide to you include:
    • Signed parental consent or a court order allowing vaccination
    • Signed youth consent for all youth 13 and older
  • Once you have copies of the appropriate consent documents from the caseworker, you can take the child or youth to any site that has age-appropriate vaccines available.
  • Be sure to contact the vaccination site you are planning on using before visiting. Each site has different requirements for proof of age and consent at the time of the vaccination.
  • Visit https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/ to schedule a vaccination appointment.
  • If you need help making an appointment or making arrangements with a vaccination site:
    • For Apple Health Core Connections (AHCC)/Coordinated Care (CCW) enrolled children/youth:
    • For all youth not enrolled in AHCC (Tribal, fee for service, private insurance, undocumented, etc.), contact Fostering Well Being (FWB) for Health Care Coordination:

For more information, view the Instructions for Caregivers Obtaining Vaccinations and the Vaccine Guidance Matrix.