Bill Explainer: Foster Care Prevention Program, SB 923 (Sen. Favola)
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Allison Gilbreath
1y ago
Senator Favola, Chair of the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, has reintroduced a bill to create a Foster Care Prevention Program after it fell short during the 2022 legislative session. SB 923 establishes a program to facilitate placements of children and youth with relatives and ensure that these relatives are provided with the resources necessary to care for the children. Virginia has significantly increased kinship placements in the past few years, going from 5% of overall placements in 2016 to nearly 20% in 2022, with the national average being around 30%. These incr ..read more
Visit website
General Assembly 2022: Child Welfare Wrap-Up
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Allison Gilbreath
1y ago
The Foster Care system has been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last two years foster families have experienced greater financial stress, fewer foster parents have become trained, and turn over in the workforce has increased from already high levels. In some localities children have been sleeping in local department of social services offices while awaiting placement, resulting in the Governor calling a for a special “Safe and Sound” taskforce to address the urgent needs. We are encouraged by the final budget including many of the initial priorities for foster care that Gov ..read more
Visit website
Guest Blog: Keys to Destination for Youth in Foster Care
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Allison Gilbreath
2y ago
This is a guest blog post written for Voices for Virginia’s Children by Susan Hoover (pictured below). Recall the day you obtained your driver’s license. Perhaps one of your parents took you to the DMV, helped you fill out the necessary forms, provided the requisite identification, and off you went to pass or fail the final test. Assuming you passed, all you wanted to do then was hop in the family car and drive somewhere. It didn’t matter where, right? Now imagine having your new-found freedom abruptly curtailed as the cost of insurance to cover your driving is too high for the family budget ..read more
Visit website
Bill Explainer: SB 56 – Foster Care Prevention Program (Senator Favola)
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Allison Gilbreath
2y ago
Senator Favola, Chair of the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services, has introduced SB 56 to create a foster care prevention program in Virginia. The purpose of the program is to facilitate placements with relatives and ensure that these relatives are provided with the resources necessary to care for the children. Virginia has significantly increased kinship placements in the past few years, going from 5 percent of overall placements in 2016 to 18 percent in 2021 with the national average being around 30 percent. These increased placements have occurred because of several advan ..read more
Visit website
2022 Youth Advocacy Cohort Application
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Kristin Lennox
2y ago
2022 Youth Advocacy Cohort Application Voices for Virginia’s Children is establishing a small cohort of youth advocates, comprised of young change makers to join us for Advocacy Days at the General Assembly in January 2022. This cohort will learn how to share their stories and experiences with others and provide feedback on policies that affect them. The purpose of the cohort is to create a space for youth to have a voice at the table and establish meaningful change and influence in the systems that have impacted their lives. Included in this opportunity are at least three mandatory training ..read more
Visit website
2021 GA Session: Conference Budget Report
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Emily Griffey
3y ago
The 2021 General Assembly is coming to close with good news for children and families. While the last year has produced tremendous disruptions and up and downs for families, the revenue picture in Virginia is in better shape than expected and lawmakers were able to restore many initiatives that were unallocated last year and identify new ways to repair systems to provide a more equitable foundation. Our issue specific blog posts will include more details on the full budget package next week. Below are some of the highlights state legislators are proposing to go above and beyond the Governor’s ..read more
Visit website
Child Welfare in the House and Senate Budgets
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Allison Gilbreath
3y ago
In a year with extraordinary budgetary challenges, the House and Senate “money committees” released their recommended changes to the Governor’s proposed budget on February 10. In good news, they retained the initial investments made for children and families impacted by the child welfare system from the Governor’s budget but did not act on all the budget amendment requests we and other partners had hoped for. Below is a breakdown on the proposed budget and a request to email your legislator to help us make the most gains for children and families involved in child welfare systems. Foster Care ..read more
Visit website
2021 Legislative Session: Advocating for Kids in Child Welfare (Updated 2/5/2021)
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Allison Gilbreath
3y ago
In the 2020 legislative session, a number of key advancements were made for children and families in foster care, however these investments were almost all put on hold due to the pandemic. The pandemic created more challenges in day-to-day activities for foster and kinship caregivers, as well as child welfare professionals. Many children entering the foster care system have experienced adversity and trauma, leaving them more vulnerable to the changes that come with school closings, lack of daily contact with friends and mentors, and other forms of social distancing. Virginia’s local department ..read more
Visit website
Studying Workforce Outcomes for Youth in Foster Care
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Courtney Reece
3y ago
When looking at the numerous challenges that face youth aging out of foster care, workforce outcomes are a key issue, but one in which we have a limited understanding. We know that 20% of youth in foster care are aging out and only 50% of those youth will have steady employment by 24. With estimates of 650 youth aging out of care in Virginia each year (this number only continues to rise), this would mean roughly 325 youth per year being unemployed or underemployed. Many barriers contribute to the employment struggles of these youth including homelessness and mental health concerns which can cr ..read more
Visit website
Recap: Foster & Kinship Care Youth Advocacy Day
Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption
by Allison Gilbreath
3y ago
On January 27th, Voices hosted its second annual “Uplifting Young Voices: Foster & Kinship Care Youth Advocacy Day”. Due to the pandemic, we shifted our efforts to meet the virtual legislative session like many other advocacy organizations. This change did not stop our dynamic group of young people from having their voices heard! 2021 Foster & Kinship Care Youth Advocacy Cohort Derek Lem Eva Elliyoun Brianna Scott Kamaria Wilburn Fariha Rahman Christopher Mavity We are grateful for this group for their willingness to share their stories with legislatures with the hope ..read more
Visit website

Follow Voices for Virginia's Kids | Foster Care and Adoption on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR