Kinship Care Resource Guide

The Kinship Care Resource Guide is a joint project developed by the Fairfax County Department of Family Services and Fairfax County Public Schools for grandparents and other adult relatives who have taken on the full responsibility of raising a child (or children) with whom they share a family bond. In this resource guide you will find program descriptions, eligibility criteria, costs and contact information for a variety of services in the Fairfax County area.

The complete resource guide is more than 100 pages. You may browse by chapter or download the full version (402KB in pdf format). You will need the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer in order to download these files.

To request the guide on CD or the print version, please call the DFS publications manager at 703-324-5870; TTY 703-222-9452.

Kinship Care Facts

• Kinship care is increasing as a result of family challenges, including serious mental and physical illness, financial difficulties, military responsibilities, substance abuse, incarceration, child abuse and neglect, AIDS, domestic violence and the death of the child’s parent.
• Kinship care families come from all geographic, economic, educational and racial or ethnic backgrounds.
• Nationwide,the number of kinship care families is growing, with more than six million children in the U.S. currently being raised by grandparents and other relatives.
• In Fairfax County, according to the 2000 Census, approximately 5,000 households identified themselves as having a grandparent responsible for the care of a grandchild or other relative child.

Resource Guide by Chapter

• Table of Contents
• 00 8 Child Care Services
• 0 11 Child Safety and Child Abuse Prevention
• 0 14 Dental Services
• 0 16 Domestic Violence Resources in Fairfax County
• 0 18 Educational Services/After-School Programs/Homework Help
• 0 30 Employment Services
• 0 32 Family Supportive Services
• 0 36 Financial and Public Assistance
• 0 44 Legal Assistance
• 0 47 Medical & Health Care Assistance
• 0 55 Mental Health Services
• 0 58 Mentoring Services
• 0 61 Multicultural Resources
• 0 65 Parenting Resources
• 0 70 Recreation and Leisure
• 0 82 Resources for Children with Special Needs
• 0 88 Services for Older Adults
• 0 92 Specialized Transportation Resources
• 0 93 Substance Abuse Services
• 0 95 Support Groups
• 0 97 Additional Resources
• 103 Helpful Publications