What software do Washington adult family homes use to document behaviors?

What Washington's rules ask of your records

Before comparing software, know what it has to support. Washington's adult family home rules, chapter 388-76 WAC, don't name a format. Resident records must hold enough information to provide care, in a format useful to the home, kept confidential, protected from loss or unauthorized use, and kept for three years after discharge or death (WAC 388-76-10315).

Where a resident needs it, the negotiated care plan sets out the steps staff take to reduce tension, agitation and problem behaviors (WAC 388-76-10355), and the home must carry that plan out (WAC 388-76-10365). During a licensing visit, DSHS reviews the assessment, the care plan and the staff notes in the resident record (RCS procedures, chapter 12).

So whatever you choose has to do three things well: help caregivers write down what happened each shift, keep those notes tied to each resident's plan, and let you produce the records quickly.

The three kinds of tools

All-in-one adult family home platforms

These combine medication administration records (eMAR), care records, tasks and compliance paperwork. Several are built for Washington homes. As of October 2026, their own sites describe them this way:

• Synkwise: eMAR, resident documentation, task and ADL tracking, and reports. It describes itself as a Washington company founded by former adult family home providers.
• VentoFlo: medication safety, care records, caregiver compliance and inspection preparation for homes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Nebraska, with behavior logging in its plans.
• AFH Hub: care plans, assessments, delegations, eMAR, behavior tracking and compliance paperwork.
• Lucy Care by Fortsmith: an on-premises system that captures compliance records such as medication passes, device checks and drills, mapped to WAC 388-76.

If medication management is your biggest gap, start with this group.

Tools focused on behavior notes

Some homes keep the eMAR they have and add a tool just for behavior documentation, because that's the note caregivers find hardest to write well. Divinity is one of these. Caregivers tap plain-language answers on their own phone, and it writes a signed behavior note for each resident, each shift. It isn't an eMAR.

Paper logs and binders

Paper is allowed. It's cheap and familiar. But handwritten notes are harder to read, harder to keep consistent from one caregiver to the next, and slower to pull together when an inspector or case manager asks.

Questions to ask any vendor

1. Will caregivers use it every shift? Ask how long a typical note takes, and whether it works on the phones your staff already carry.
2. Are notes organized by resident, next to the care plan? Inspectors compare the plan with the notes.
3. Does everyone sign in as themselves? You should see who wrote each note and when.
4. Can you produce records fast? DSHS expects documents not provided during a visit to be sent electronically within 24 hours (DSHS letter AFH #2024-011).
5. Will the vendor sign a business associate agreement? If your home is a HIPAA covered entity, you need one. See does an adult family home need a BAA.
6. Can you export everything? You keep records three years after a resident leaves, even if you change software.
7. What will it cost for your number of residents? Prices are usually per home, per resident, or both.

Where Divinity fits

Divinity is built for Washington adult family homes and behavioral health facilities, and it does one job: the behavior note. Caregivers answer a few plain questions per resident per shift, and the signed note says what happened, what staff did and how the resident responded. Owners can read every note and see who wrote it and when. Starter is $79 a month per home with three client seats, then $10 a month for each additional client, after a 14-day free trial with no card. If you also need an eMAR, pair it with a medication system or choose an all-in-one platform.