Performance-Based Contracting at the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families

In July 2017, Governor Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1661, which combined the Department of Early Learning, the Children's Administration, and the Office of Juvenile Justice (officially joined in July 2019) into the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). In an effort to improve outcomes for children and families, House Bill 1661 also required that the new agency shift all of its contracts for client services to be performance-based, with a focus on quality or outcomes.   

From 2018 to 2021, Third Sector supported DCYF to implement Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) across the new agency's more than 1,200 contracts for client services, representing approximately $1B in biennial spending. With this effort, DCYF is now able to use contractor performance data in new ways to improve services for clients and achieve better outcomes for communities.

• December 2021- Washington DCYF Performance Based Contracting Progress Report
• December 2019- Washington DCYF Introduction to PBC video for DCYF program staff
• October 2019- Stanford Social Innovation Review article on "The Evolving Promise of Pay for Success" 
• October 2019- Washington DCYF blog post on Shifting the Poverty Paradigm: Moving to Results that Matter in Washington State 
• June 2018- Washington DCYF blog post and video on Turning a Mandate into a Movement 

Third Sector’s work with the Washington Department of Children Youth and Families is supported by a grant from Ballmer Group.