Virginia’s foster care program gives children safe, temporary homes when they cannot live with their parents. The goal is to reunite families when it’s safe and give every child hope for the future.
Foster care is short-term care for children facing abuse, neglect or other serious problems. Social workers from the Virginia Department of Social Services partner with families to help them heal and reunite.
Virginia is a “kin-first” state, meaning children are placed with relatives or close family friends whenever possible.
Today, about 4,900 children and teens are in foster care, and 900 young adults are in Fostering Futures, the extended foster care program for ages 18–21.
Children in foster care need love, patience and stability.
Foster parents:
When children see adults working together, they feel more secure and hopeful about their future.
At VDSS, we believe that when children can't be with their parents, the next best place is with someone they already know and trust. We prioritize kinship care, trauma-informed support and keeping kids connected to family, culture and community while working toward reunification.
Foster parents must be supportive of children's ongoing relationships with their families. Strong partnerships between the child’s parents, foster parents, local departments, courts and community partners are critical to achieving reunification and stability.
How Fostering Works for Non-Relative Resource Parents
Along with training, local departments of social services (LDSS) provide financial support and other resources to assist children and families throughout the process.
It's easy to pursue your interest in foster parenting through Virginia's Faster Families Highway. Get started today by creating an account on the Virginia Department of Social Services' Faster Families Highway.
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