Department of Family Services Overview

The Department of Family Services offers a wide range of community programs and services for residents of Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. Offices are conveniently located in Fairfax, Falls Church, Reston, and the Richmond Highway/Alexandria area.

Our services include:

Many DFS-administered programs receive federal and/or state funding and have specific eligibility requirements.

Department of Family Services (DFS) staff includes:

• Community education and prevention specialists.
• Early childhood education specialists, child care providers and preschool teachers.
• Eligibility (public assistance) specialists.
• Employment and training specialists.
• Geriatric specialists.
• Social workers.

More information on DFS trends and statistics appears in the Advisory Social Services Board (ASSB) annual report, available by calling 703-324-5870; TTY 703-222-9452.

To access or apply for our services, call the numbers listed within each program area.

• Adult Protective Services: 703-324-7450
  Mandated investigation of abuse, neglect, exploitation; casework services for at-risk adults in the community and in public and private facilities.
  
• Adult Services: 703-222-0880
  Case management, including needs assessment, care plans, coordination/authorization of services, follow-up and reassessment. Home care services are provided based on income and need.
  
• Adult Care Network: 703-222-0880
  Case management/consultation services for elderly persons (over 60 years old) with multiple needs or individuals over 18 years old with a disability.
  
• Pre-Admission Screenings:703-222-0880
  Assessment of functional eligibility of individuals for assisted living facility, nursing home, or community-based care, and authorization for those services.
  

• Community-Based Services: Includes Fan Care (electric fan distribution to eligible seniors), Telephone Reassurance, Friendly Visiting and Volunteer Home Services for seniors.
  
• Community Education: The monthly Golden Gazette newspaper for seniors, a speakers' bureau, and "Caregiver's Corner Online."
  
• ElderLink: 703-324-5374
  Consultation and case management services.
  
• Employment Counseling: 703-324-5426; for eligible adults 55 and over.
  
• Home Care Development: Home care worker registry, consumer resource information, and home care agency information.
  
• Home-Delivered Meals and Nutritional Supplement: Meals for homebound residents 60 and over; nutritional supplements for low-income persons 60 and over with special nutritional needs.
  
• Information and Assistance: 703-324-7948
  Provides information on services such as meals, home care, respite services, transportation and community services for seniors and their caregivers.
  
• Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: 703-324-5861. Advocates for quality care for residents of licensed nursing homes, adult care residences, assisted living facilities and for recipients of home care services.
  
• Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (VICAP):> 703-324-5851. Confidential help and advice about health insurance and long-term care insurance.
  

Disability Services Planning and Development Staff:

• Provides analysis, consultation and technical assistance on disabilities. Works with programs to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Oversees community contracts serving persons who are deaf or hard or hearing, or who have brain injuries.
• Oversees state-funded seed grants to meet the needs of people with disabilities in the community.
  

• Informs, educates and advises groups and elected officials.
• Publishes a newsletter.
• Assesses local service needs and promotes development of community resources to meet these needs.
• Advocates for the rights of persons with disabilities.
  

The mission of these programs is to advance the care, education and healthy development of children from birth to intermediate-school age. Main services include:

• Child Care Assistance and Referral (CCAR):
  703-449-8484
  Promotes self-sufficiency for low- and moderate-income working parents by subsidizing child care costs in the child care centers. Assists parents in finding and selecting child care.
  
• Child Care Food Program (CCFP): 703-324-8100
  Provides nutrition education for caregivers; assists child care providers with food costs.
  
• Head Start/Early Head Start Program: 703-324-8290
  Supports low-income families to gain self-sufficiency through comprehensive programs and quality early childhood education programs for children birth to three.
  
• Institute for Early Learning:703-324-3044: Offers courses for child care providers in centers and regulated homes.
  
• Permits and Regulations: 703-324-8100
  Conducts health/safety inspections and issues permits to family child care homes. Helps child care providers market their programs and provides technical assistance.
  
• School-Age Child Care (SACC): 703-449-8989
  Provides safe and enriching before- and after-school, holiday and summer programs in public elementary schools for children in grades K-6.
  

Programs and services include:

• Adoption Services: 703-324-7639
  Placement services; adoption counseling for birth parents; post-adoption services for families of children with special needs (such as older children, sibling groups and children with emotional or behavioral difficulties).
  
• Child Protective Services:703-324-7400
  Investigation /assessment in response to valid complaints of child abuse and neglect and support services for families at risk. The HOTLINE (703-324-7400 (24 hours) or TTY: 703-222-9452) receives reports of suspected abuse and neglect and requests for guidance; and provides referrals to counseling, resources and support services.
  
• Family Preservation Services: 703-324-7500
  Intensive and comprehensive assessment and case management services for families to prevent child abuse, neglect and out-of-home placement of children.
  
• Foster Care: 703-324-7639
  Placement and supervision of abused, neglected or dependent children and youth (from infancy to age 18) who have been temporarily separated from their parents and placed in the legal custody of Family Services.
  
• Housing
  • Emergency Housing: 703-222-0880
    Temporary emergency shelter and social services for homeless county residents.
    
  • Project HOMES: Sponsorship of homeless families by nonprofit organizations and faith communities to help secure permanent housing for those formerly homeless.
    
  • Transitional Housing: Intensive case management services and temporary housing for homeless families for up to 24 months with the goal of breaking the cycle of homelessness and achieving self-suffiency.
    
• Child Abuse Prevention Programs: 703-324-7720
  These programs focus on preventing child abuse and neglect through family strengthening and parenting education in community-based settings.
  
  Programs include:
  
  • BeFriend-A-Child: Adult volunteer mentors are matched with children who need positive attention and role models.
  • BeFriend-A-Parent:Adult volunteer mentors, trained and supported by DFS staff, coach DFS clients and work together on parenting and personal needs and skills.
  • Blue Ribbon Campaign to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect : A year-round public awareness campaign, in partnership with the community, to support families and help keep children safe from neglect and abuse.
  • Early Intervention Strategy Team: Human Services professionals conduct staff training and multi-agency staff meetings conducted to prevent the need for foster care among African-American families with children ages birth to six.
  • Family Resource Centers: Drop-in neighborhood centers with programs and services to strengthen families; technical assistance to community groups wanting to form their own centers.
  • Healthy Families Fairfax: Intensive home-visiting services to new parents to ensure the child's healthy birth and development and enhance family functioning.
  • Nurturing Parenting Program®: Group, community-based classes to teach parenting skills to strengthen and promote healthy family relationships and family functioning; program reaches parents, adolescents and children simultaneously.
  • Holiday Spirit: The departmental program accepts seasonal donations from businesses, community organizations and individuals for children in foster care who otherwise might not receive gifts of needed clothing or other essentials.
    

• Employment Services: 703-324-7500; TTY: 703-222-9452. Through our network of employment centers, we provide a one-stop source for a wide range of workforce needs. Whether you are an employer looking for skilled workers or a job seekerlooking for a quality job, the One-Stop Employment Centers provide customer-friendly, demand-driven services shaped by private and public sector partners. We help businesses recruit, retain and retrain skilled employees. We help job seekers gain the skills they need to find rewarding, sustaining work. More information is available at www.myskillsource.org.
  
  
• Benefits Programs: 703-324-7500; TTY: 703-222-9452. These programs include major federal- and state-funded public assistance programs that have income and other eligibility requirements. Programs include:
  
  • Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS): Virginia's health coverage for children 0-18 who have no health insurance coverage; designed to cover children of working families.
  • Food Stamps:Benefits (through an electronic card) to buy food at participating grocery stores; intended to help prevent hunger and malnutrition.
  • General Relief: Temporary assistance/medical care for disabled or ill adults and for certain children living with unrelated families.
  • Medicaid: Assistance in covering medical and health care for elderly, disabled and blind individuals; pregnant women; and some needy children and their caretakers.
  • Refugee Assistance: Monthly payments to assist in economic/social adjustment of refugees; limited to first eight months in United States.
  • State-Local Hospitalization (SLH): Assistance with hospital bills for income-eligible individuals.
  • Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF): Monthly payments to children/families deprived of support; formerly known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
  • Energy Assistance: Assists low-income households with their heating and cooling expenses.
  • Auxiliary Grants: monthly payments to individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income and to certain other individuals who are elderly, blind, or have disabilities and who reside in an assisted living facility or approved adult foster care home.
    

• Fairfax Families4Kids - Help a child find a family. Fairfax Families4Kids volunteers help with recruiting, community presentations, publicity, weekend activities, transportation and more. Fairfax Families4Kids gives children ages 9 to 18, living in foster care, the opportunity to visit a host family who partners with the child to find the child a permanent family. Fairfax Families4Kids works to engage the community to support the children by creating partnerships with civic, social, fraternal and faith organizations. To find out more, call 703-324-7656; TTY 703-222-9452



• Foster Care Program - Foster parents are needed to provide support and care for children in foster care. Support, training and a monthly stipend for the child's expenses are provided. To find out more, call 703-324-7639 TTY 703-222-9452.

• Guardianship/Conservatorship: Volunteers serve as court-appointed guardians/conservators dealing with personal and/or financial decisions for at-risk clients in the Department of Family Services Adult and Aging program.
  
• Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: Volunteers are trained to serve as advocates for the needs and rights of residents in licensed nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the five Northern Virginia jurisdictions (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William).
  
• Meals on Wheels:Volunteers pick up and deliver meals to homebound area residents. Volunteers may choose how often they would like to drive. Daily time commitment is approximately two hours.
  
• Nutritional Supplement Program: Volunteers deliver nutritional supplement to homebound individuals once a month.
  
• Pets on Wheels: Trained volunteers and their pets visit area nursing homes to provide residents with companionship and affection.
  
• Friendship, Senior: Volunteers visit socially isolated senior adults regularly to provide companionship and emotional support.
  
• Telephone Reassurance: Volunteers make a social call to an older adult once a week.
  
• Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (VICAP): Trained volunteers help senior adults with understanding Medicare rules, Medigap policies, Medicare HMO plans, and long-term care insurance. They also help clients work through the maze of filing medical claim forms.
  
• Volunteer Home Services for Seniors: Volunteers are on call to provide services to clients, such as help with grocery shopping, light housekeeping, minor home maintenance, transportation to medical appointments and errands, yard work and various other needed services.