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Foster Care and Adoption

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Today, more than 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.

May is Foster Care Month

During Foster Care Month this May, we recognize the role of foster care in providing children with opportunities to be part of safe, caring homes. We encourage county residents, faith-based organizations, and other public and private organizations to recognize the importance of foster care, consider how they can make an impact, and commit to supporting children and youth in need. Our theme “Awareness to Action – Supporting Foster Care Changes Lives!” is a reminder of the collective responsibility we share to support and uplift the most vulnerable members of our community. Learn how to get involved.

Foster Care

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.

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.

Adoption

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

Who Are the Children?

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.

What Do They Need?

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

Who Can Foster and Adopt?

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.

What Do They Need to Know?

You can be a foster parent even if you don’t own your home. Renters are eligible to be foster parents.
Foster parents can be as young as 18.
No matter your marital status, you can be a foster parent to a child in need. Single, divorced and married (including LGBTQ couples) folks are all welcome!
Fairfax County’s greatest need is for loving homes for children in sibling groups and those 9 years of age and older.
The cost of many recreational activities (think summer camp and music lessons) for foster children are covered.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a foster parent and helping children in need. The next step is completing a short interest form.

One of our specialists will review your completed information.
You’ll be contacted within two business days.

Do you have a general question about Foster Care and Adoption? Send an email or call 703-324-7639. Responses are provided within two business days.

Patricia Aviles-Cubillos discusses foster parent recruitment with host Heber Velasquez on “La Voz del Condado de Fairfax,” the County’s Spanish-language radio program on WUST-1120 AM.

Supports

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)

Resources

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

More than 70 percent of our adoptive families begin as foster parents, and then commit to adopting the child in their care. Many are school aged and part of sibling groups. Learn more from this Inside Scoop Virginia video.

Volunteer as a tutor or mentor.
Make a donation of a gift card, clothing, school supplies or other needed items.
Help a teen in foster care prepare for adult independent living.

Testimonies

"Finding my forever family has made such a big impact in my life! We enjoy being together, supporting each other, and making lots of new memories. I strongly encourage anyone considering fostering or adopting to do it - you can make all the difference in the life of a kid like me."
Mikalah

"As a first-time single parent, I was nervous about raising a teenager, but everything fell into place the minute I met her, and it's been an exceptional experience ever since!"
Lesley

"I have learned that adoption is not for the faint of heart. Some days I am aggravated. Some days I am exasperated. Some days I am heartbroken. Some days I ask, 'what have I gotten myself into?' But every day I know that this is among the greatest things I have ever done. In some situations you are literally saving a child's life. But in every situation you are offering a child the opportunity to see all the possibilities this world has to offer."
Leslie

Interview

The Unexpected Rewards of Foster Parenting is an interview with foster parents from Fairfax County who share their journey - what interest them initially; what steps they took to become foster parents; how long they served as foster parents; the relationship they built; challenges; rewards; advice based on their experience and more.

Videos

Meet some of the families who know this experience firsthand. Check out the videos of their personal stories to learn more about their journey.

Check out our data dashboard to help you better understand the scope of Foster Care and Adoption in Fairfax County.

The Faster Families Highway is an online tool that can help you determine your readiness to be a foster parent. This comprehensive 6-step questionnaire will help you understand more about foster care and the role of foster parents, and Fairfax County will learn more about your family’s goals and preferences.

Once it is completed, you will hear back from one of our specialists within two business days. You can check out our Faster Families Highway Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Take the First Step to Becoming a Foster Parent

Thank you for your interest in becoming a foster parent and helping children in need. The next step is completing a short interest form. One of our specialists will review your completed information and contact you within two business days.

For general questions about Foster Care and Adoption. Email us or call 703-324-7639.

Foster Parent Interest Form

2026 Fairfax County Foster Parents of the Year

Congratulations to Melanie Vracas and Adrienne Randall, recognized as the 2026 Fairfax County Foster Parents of the Year by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments! Melanie and Adrienne have opened their home to children of various ages, including middle school–aged sisters and a medically fragile infant. They have shown exceptional compassion by helping children maintain connections with their families whenever possible, sharing photos and arranging phone calls when permitted. Before welcoming the medically fragile infant home, Melanie and Adrienne spent weeks visiting her in the hospital and received extensive training from medical staff to ensure she received the specialized care she needed. They have also offered their home as a holiday refuge for older youth in foster care who had nowhere else to go during breaks and holidays. Melanie and Adrienne are bright lights in our community, doing their best to make the world a better place—one interaction, and one child, at a time.

The Johnson’s Foster Care & Adoption Story

In July 2025, Aamir and Tovoia Johnson, with their biological children Aamir Jr and Taliyah, adopted four young brothers who entered foster care in November 2022. The Department of Family Services reached out to the Johnsons in December 2022 during a search for possible relative placements. Despite not having a close relationship with the children’s biological father up to that point, Aamir and Tovoia felt compelled to step in and care for their family member’s children. They completed the home study process in Maryland, and the children, two of whom have special needs, gradually moved into their home between the end of September to October 2023. Learn more about this special family.

Department of Family Services – Children, Youth and Families

Department of Family Services Alert:

Department Resources

Related Resources

Foster Care and Adoption

May is Foster Care Month

Sign-up for Foster Care and Adoption Information

You Can Be A Foster Parent Too

Comprender la Acogida Temporal y la Adopción