Foster Parent Shared Leave Pool
The state of Washington administers a shared leave pool through the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) specifically for those state employees who are a licensed foster parent so they may care for a foster child and/or prepare to accept a foster child in their home.
The Foster Parent Shared Leave Pool (FPSLP) Program allows UW employees to maintain a level of compensation and employee benefits equal to the amount they would have received if they were using accrued vacation or sick time off.
Receiving shared leave
Since this program uses a shared pool, there must be donated leave available in the pool in order to grant individual requests for leave.
Time off you receive from the pool is paid at your UW regular rate of pay.
Shared leave received under the FPSLP Program is not included in the 522 day total specified in the general Shared Leave Program but leave granted under FPSLP is also limited to 522 days.
Eligibility
To receive shared leave from the pool, you must meet the following requirements:
- You are a licensed foster parent either caring for or preparing for a foster child
- You have used (or will soon deplete) your available paid compensatory time, holiday credit, discretionary time off and personal holiday. You may maintain up to 40 hours of both sick and vacation time off.
Caring for means taking a foster child to health appointments, court appointments, visitation with family members and/or any other reasons that sick time off may be used.
Preparing for means arranging a foster child’s living space, enrolling in school, and/or enrolling in child care.
An eligible employee may receive up to five days of shared leave, per occurrence, from the foster parent shared leave pool to prepare to accept a foster child in their home.
Requesting shared leave
Though the program is administered through DCYF, you apply through UW Human Resources. Human Resources will submit your request to DCYF.
For campus staff: Submit an absence request for Shared Leave in Workday (“LOA-Shared Leave of Absence”). You can find instructions in the Leave of Absence – Request Shared Leave – Staff Campus User Guide. In order to process the request, you will be prompted to provide:
- proof of a current foster parent license
- foster parent placement information (to support the timing of the leave)
For medical centers staff: Complete the Shared Leave (med centers) - Request to Receive - Foster Parent (MS Word) form and submit it to your supervisor, who will review and forward to your department’s leave specialist. In order to process the request, you will be prompted to provide:
- proof of a current foster parent license
- foster parent placement information
DCYF cannot grant more leave than the leave balance in the FPSLP available at the time a request is received.
Abuse of the pool
The University investigates alleged abuse of the FPSLP. If wrongdoing is found, the employee may be required to repay all of the shared leave received from the pool.
Donating shared leave
Your donation to this shared leave program is to a pool, not an individual.
To donate, you must meet the following requirements:
| Type of time off: | Requirement: |
| Vacation time off | You have at least 80 hours of vacation time off after the donation is deducted. For part-time employees, this minimum balance is prorated. Classified employees may not donate hours in excess of the 240-hour annual leave maximum if they would otherwise not have sufficient time to use the hours before their next anniversary date. |
| Sick time off | You have at least 176 hours of sick time off after the donation is deducted. For part-time employees, this balance is not prorated. |
| Personal holiday | All or part of the personal holiday may be donated. Any personal holiday hours remaining after donation must be used at one time and within the current calendar year. |
For campus staff: Follow the Leave of Absence – Donate Shared Leave – Staff Campus User Guide and make your donation in Workday. Contact the ISC for additional assistance.
For medical centers staff:
- To donate, complete the Shared Leave (med centers) - Donation - Foster Parent (MS Word) and Shared Leave – Donation (MS Word) forms and submit them to your supervisor. Contact your leave specialist if you have any questions about donating.
- Once donated, the hours are deducted from your leave balance. Donations to the FPSLP are permanent and will not be returned to the donating employee.
Supervisor responsibilities
Requests to donate
Follow these steps for processing a request to donate leave:
- When an employee submits the Shared Leave (med centers) - Donation - Foster Parent (MS Word) and Shared Leave – Donation (MS Word) forms, review the employee section of the forms for accuracy, then complete the departmental section. The budget number specified on the forms will be charged for the hours donated.
- If you approve the request, forward the completed forms to your leave specialist. If you believe approving this donation may not be appropriate, contact your Human Resources Consultant to discuss your concerns.
- HR will send written confirmation of approval to you and the donating employee.
- HR will work with the Integrated Service Center to transfer the value of the time off donation to the state DCYF shared leave pool.
Requests to receive leave
When an employee submits the two leave request forms, review them for completeness and forward them on to your leave specialist. HR will submit the request to the state DCYF.
Additional resources
APS 45.10 Shared Leave Program for Classified Non-Union and Contract-Classified Staff, Professional Staff Employees, and Librarians