While an adoption provider at its inception, Children’s Home Society of Washington (CHSW) has experienced significant transformation over its nearly 125-year history.

Adoptions peaked for the organization in the 1960s, when a significant transformation occurred in the country—receiving homes started to disappear and residential care/foster care became predominant. With these changes, CHSW began to offer foster and residential care services in the 1970s. From the learnings of serving children in the foster care system, CHSW determined there was a significant need to support families before a crisis occurred in the home and started to prioritize multigenerational and holistic services in the late 1980s. This work continues today. In alignment with our current direction and in the wake of COVID-19, CHSW is having to prioritize financial resources for the critical needs of families facing this crisis.

To this end, CHSW is announcing the closing of its Records & Reunion (formerly Search & Reunion) program as of June 30, 2020. For the last 15 years, Records & Reunion has been connecting CHSW adult adoptees and birth families through use of a highly-trained and experienced in-house Confidential Intermediary.  We know many of you who have an adoption history with CHSW have come to know and appreciate this quality program and it has been a pivotal resource to you.

CHSW will be able to respond to court order requests from outside Confidential Intermediaries for records honoring our commitment to CHSW adoptees, birth and adoptive families which began at our organization’s founding in 1896.

We continue our legacy through finding forever families for children in the foster care system who need loving homes through our statewide Wendy’s Wonderful Kids specialized adoption recruitment program for children in foster care as well as supporting children in the foster care system in our Therapeutic Foster Care Program based in Wenatchee.

We appreciate our community’s support over the years, and we value being a significant part of many adoption experiences.