Provides services, substitute care, and supervision for a child on a 24-hour basis until the child can return to his or her family or be placed in an adoptive home or another permanent foster care placement. Local departments of social services provide training for foster parents. The training is designed to help foster parents understand and manage the needs of children in their care.

Provides court-ordered and agency placements of children in custody. Offers court-ordered home studies for a fee based on income.

UMFS provides adoption through treatment foster care. UMFS recognizes that adoption is a lifelong process, creating a relationship between a child and adoptive parents. UMFS pays special attention to the complex circumstances that give rise to the need for adoption and to the stresses and adjustments that ensue for all parties in this process.

Foster Care Services are provided to children who have been entrusted to or placed in the custody of Social Services with the primary goal being of reuniting the child with his/her natural family. The child's family is provided services to help resolve the problems, which caused the child to enter Foster Care.

Responsible for providing 24-hour care for youth ordered into our custody, for providing services to family members which promote the child's return to the birth family, and for providing custody studies, home family assessments, and ensuring parental rights are legally terminated if the child is adopted.

Protects elderly and impaired adults from abuse, neglect, and exploitation; enables adults to remain in the least restrictive setting. Investigate allegations of suspected abuse, neglect and/or exploitation.

Provides protection for adults from abuse and neglect. Investigates and responds to reports of suspected abuse of disabled adults over age 18 and any person over age 60.

Foster Care manages the provision of services and treatment to a child who is in the legal custody of the Department due to abuse/neglect or the need for services. To be placed in foster care, the child must have been placed in the Department's custody by a Virginia court. Services are provided to the child and to the family to prevent further need for foster placement, and to achieve permanency.

Provides protection for adults from abuse and neglect. Investigates and responds to reports of suspected abuse of disabled adults over age 18 and any person over age 60. In emergencies after hours call your local police or the Statewide 24 hour Toll-free Hotline: (888)832-3858.

Rappahannock Area Foster Families Team recruits, trains, approves and supports foster/adoptive families. RAFFT provide basic training several times a year both evening and day classes and a variety of other training to further assist our foster/adoptive parents.

Offers intensive, ongoing supportive services to children and families at risk. These services are provided directly or through purchase and referral to community resources.

Offers an adoption program that seeks adoptive families for foster children who are unable to return home and have the goal of adoption. Many of these children have special needs including: age six or older, are a minority or mixed racial heritage, are a member of a sibling group that should not be separated, have a hereditary tendency, congenital problem or birth injury that could lead to future disability and/or have a diagnosed physical, mental or emotional condition. Whenever possible, the agency pursues adoption of these children by their current foster parents. The Department also makes referrals for private adoptions and provides services for adoptive parents.

Healthy Families West Piedmont home visitors support parents as they establish nurturing parent-child relationships, develop positive parenting skills, provide safe homes, and learn to support healthy child development. Families work to reduce risks and build resiliency so that they can raise healthy children who are ready to learn. Families are typically referred prenatally or at the time of the baby's delivery. Families will receive an initial visit, during which their strengths and needs are identified. A determination is then made about whether Healthy Families or other services in the community are right for them. Families are voluntarily connected to community resources they prefer. Healthy Families West Piedmont is a good fit for parents with multiple stressors, such as single parenthood; low income; limited knowledge about infant and child development; history of abuse or adverse childhood experiences; personal trauma; and issues related to substance abuse, mental health, and/or domestic violence. Families who do best in the program are willing to receive at least one home visit per week for the first six months after the baby's birth. After that the frequency is determined by their needs and progress. Families have the choice to receive services until the child's fifth birthday. Families must enroll prenatally or within three months of birth. There are no income restrictions.

The Foster Care Program provides services to children and families when circumstances require the child to be removed from their home. Foster care provides a safe and stable environment for children and older youth until the issues that made placement outside the home necessary are resolved. When a child cannot return home, another permanent home is found for the child through adoption or legal custody by a relative.

Ideally, at-risk children should remain with their actual families whenever possible. Although foster care services offered by the state of Virginia make every effort to keep them together, it is not always possible. Once it is determined that a child must leave the family unit and go into foster care, other services becomes available to them, which are designed to promote child safety and well-being within a nurturing, family environment. Services include: *Placement services; *Teaching independent living skills; *Physical or mental health treatment; *Opportunity for a permanent living situation.

Foster parent is an approved provider who is committed both to supporting family reunification and also to adopting the child if the child and family do not reunify. As noted, sometimes children are unable to return home, so in Virginia, all families are dually-certified as foster parents and adoptive parents. You may specify your preference for foster care, adoption or both during the home study process. However, dual-certification provides more flexibility for the family and allows for changing future circumstances.

Efforts are made to bring adoptable children together with approved families.

he objectives of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families aer: 1) to prevent child maltreatment among families at risk through the provision of supportive family services; 2) to assure children's safety within the home and preserve intact families in which children have been maltreated, when teh family's problems can be addressed effectively; 3) to address the problems of families whose children have been placed in foster care so that reunification may occur in a safe and stable manner; 4) to support adoptive families by providing support services as necessary so that they can make a lifetime commitment to their children. This is accomplished through the issuance of grants to state child and welfare agencies to serve families at risk or in crisis, to develop or expand and operated coordinated programs of community-based family support services, family preservation services, family reunification services, and adoption promotion and support services. Services are for the child and the parents or primary care giver. Such services may include individual, group, and family counseling; inpatient, residential, or outpatient substance use treatment and recovery services; mental health services; violence services; temporary respite care, child care and after-school care' therapeutic services; transportation services; parenting services; fatherhood programs; assessments; educational services; housing or other material assistance; socialization and recreational activities; case management and referrals to community services.

Provides protection for adults from abuse and neglect. Investigates and responds to reports of suspected abuse of disabled adults over age 18 and any person over age 60.

Investigates complaints and corrects protective issues in cases of adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

Temporary care arranged for children who cannot be in their own homes and who have been placed in foster care by the court.

Reunification of the family by correcting problems that ultimately led to the Foster Care placement. This involves working with the natural family, the child, the foster family, the court, and various community resources. The Child Welfare Unit is responsible for the recruitment, approval, and re-evaluation of foster care homes. A volunteer Foster Care program is offered to families in need of respite care for their children.

Provides court-ordered and agency placements of children in custody. Offers court-ordered home studies for a fee based on income. For more information, please call: Warren County Social Services: Statewide Toll-free number: (800)362-3678 or (800)DO-ADOPT.

Provides services, substitute care, and supervision for a child on a 24-hour basis until the child can return to his or her family or be placed in an adoptive home or another permanent foster care placement. Local departments of social services provide training for foster parents. The training is designed to help foster parents understand and manage the needs of children in their care.

Provides therapeutic foster care, supported adoption, and related services to emotionally disturbed children, youth and their families. The program combines a strong social learning orientation with a "do whatever it takes" commitment value of family and community-based living for all children. An array of services supports this commitment including family reunification, counseling and independent living skills training.