Permanency

When children are placed in foster care, it is imperative to find safe, permanent homes for them as quickly as possible. Permanency can have different meanings depending on the child, family, and case circumstances. Permanency can be achieved through reunification, placement with or custody transfer to a relative, or adoption. Permanency helps youth establish and nurture a family connection that can provide a lifetime of support, commitment and a sense of belonging beyond temporary placement, even as they transition into adulthood. In many circumstances, children can be reunited with their families. However, some cases require children to find permanent homes with relatives or adoptive families.

When a child comes to the attention of the child welfare system, the initial focus is on supporting and stabilizing a family to prevent an initial placement. If children must be removed from their families to ensure their safety, permanency planning efforts focus on returning them home as soon as is safely possible. If reunification is not an option, other permanent families may include relatives or adoptive families who obtain legal custody.

Kinship Care is the full time care, nurturing and protection of children by a relative (Code of Virginia §63.2-100). The Virginia Department of Social Services supports placing children with relatives when children cannot live with their parents. In Virginia, kinship care families are eligible for assistance based on either an informal or a formal arrangement.

Informal Kinship Care

Under this arrangement, a child is not in the custody of a local department of social services. Assistance may include:

• General Relief
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program
• Medical Assistance Programs
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
• Preservation and Support Services

Formal Kinship Care

When the child is in the custody of a local department of social services and living with a relative who is an approved foster parent, assistance includes the following:

• Annual training to develop knowledge and improve skills regarding meeting the needs of the child
• A monthly stipend for the child's basic care requirements Assistance in the management of the child's behavior

More information about Kinship Care

Reunification 

Family reunification is the process of returning a child to his or her family of origin following a placement in foster care. In Virginia, reunification is the primary goal for children in foster care. Research finds that children do best when raised in their own families, whenever possible.

In order to successfully achieve reunification, challenges associated with the birth parents must be thoroughly addressed, as the child's safety and well-being are paramount. This requires the support of the child welfare professionals and the child's foster parents. Strong partnerships between birth parents, foster parents, local departments of social services, courts and other community partners are critical to achieving successful reunification and stability for children.

Foster parents play a critical role in helping to involve birth families in case planning and decision-making, providing mentoring support of birth parents, and facilitating visits between children and their biological families. Approximately one-third of children exiting foster care each year return to their parents' custody. Other outcomes include adoption, the transfer of custody to a relative, and emancipation (or aging out of foster care with no identified family).

To learn more, please visit the Virginia DSS website.

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