Foster Care and Adoption

Meet the Andersons - 2019 Foster Parents of the Year

Meet the Andersons, Fairfax County’s 2019 Foster Parents of the Year for Fairfax County by Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG). Learn what happened when this family of 10 opened their home and hearts to a medically fragile boy who needed a heart transplant. Check out their heartbreaking yet heartwarming story.

Today, nearly 200 Fairfax County children are in foster care. The Department of Family Services' Foster Care and Adoption Program offers temporary foster homes for these children, and services to help their families. When a child cannot return home safely, we seek to find relatives who want to care for the child, and are legally eligible to do so. If a relative is not identified, or is unable to care for the child, we seek a permanent home through adoption.

They are children in Fairfax County who:

• Have their worlds turned upside down.
• Need a safe haven during difficult times.
• Need a foster home due to abuse or neglect.
• Range in age from infant to 18.
• Come from diverse backgrounds.
• Have experienced devastating losses of family and identity.
• Search for a sense of belonging.
• Have their confidence and feelings of self-worth shattered.
• Feel frightened and alone.

• Foster and adoptive parents.
• Stable, nurturing homes.
• Someone in their corner.
• To learn to trust again.
• Day-to-day guidance.
• Support from loving adults.

Foster care refers to finding a temporary home for a child outside the home where he or she had been raised. This may occur as a result of abuse, neglect or other circumstances that put the child at risk. During this time, family problems are addressed so that the child can return home safely, or plans are made to find a safe and nurturing home for the child outside his or her birth family.

Adoption provides a permanent home when a child cannot return to the parents or relatives.

People who:

• care about children.
• want to make a difference in children's lives and futures.
• are 18 or older.
• may be married, single or divorced.
• may work outside the home.
• are able to provide a safe, loving home.

Foster parents offer children safety and stability until they can return to their families or go to permanent homes. Foster families offer different types of care:

• Regular Foster Home: Children stay for any length of time, often one to two years.
• Resource Home: These families are willing to both foster and adopt a child, depending on the child's needs.
• Child-Specific: Children are placed with relatives or close friends who know the children's background and circumstances.

• Training and supportive services
• A Resource Specialist
• Financial assistance
• Counseling
• Child care

Our foster parents receive:

• reimbursement for room and board, clothing, and related expenses
• medical and dental care for the children through Medicare or other sources (Podcast: EMS Care for Youth in Foster Care)
• ongoing training and support, such as workshops and social events
• services the child may need, such as
  • day care
  • respite care
  • summer camp
  • school fees and trips
  • other recreational activities (e.g., music lessons)

Learn more from this Inside Scoop Virginia video.