(Posted 2023 July)
When children enter foster care, reunification with birth families is the first goal as long as it’s safe to do so. Therefore, during Reunification Month in June, Fairfax County Government joined jurisdictions nationwide in celebrating reunified families.
Family Reunification – It Takes a Village
Fairfax County Department of Family Services and Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court hosted the Second Annual Reunification Celebration on June 6, 2023. The theme of the event was “Family Reunification-It Takes a Village.” This event is one of the ways Fairfax County honors local families that make the necessary changes to stabilize and reunify with their children. This year 18 children from nine families were reunified between June 1, 2022-May 31, 2023.
“We want to celebrate their accomplishments and let them know that we believe that ALL can make a positive change. It’s a process, and it takes a village,” said Foster Care and Adoption Program Manager Kamonya Omatete.
The event featured a dinner along with the recognition and celebration of the five local families who planned to come. Those in attendance also included CASAs, guardians ad litem, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court judges, assistant county attorneys, and other family members and parent supports.
Keynote Speaker Provides Words of Wisdom
The keynote speech was offered by a parent with lived experience of the separation and reunification process during FY 2022. Her words can serve as an inspiration to anyone in a similar place.
“I can honestly say that without this department and without the process, that my failure as a mother, would’ve been inevitable. It was the resource I needed to push myself in the direction I so badly needed and wanted to go in. I needed help.
“The first step was to swallow my pride. There's a saying, ‘If we fail to acknowledge our ego, we do ourselves a disservice.’ Once I was able to get over myself by taking accountability for the situation I was in, I was able to realize the one most vital and important truth...it isn’t about me anymore. It’s about my daughter.
“Until accountability is taken and humility happens, you’re not going to move forward. and while there are stigmas to endure and bumps along the way...you advocate for yourself, do the work, and move forward, for yourself and for your family.”
The Community of Support Comes Together
Other speakers included Department of Family Services Deputy Director Alycia Blackwell, Judith Wheeler from Circles of Hope, and the Honorable Judge Gayl Carr providing closing remarks.
We would like to recognize those who made this event possible. The planning committee included Judge Gayl Carr with DFS Foster Care and Adoption staff: Kamonya Omatete, Namisha Khatri, Aleta Carter, and Tamara Tanner. Fairfax Church graciously hosted the event and helped make the families welcome. Cake4Kids donated delicious cupcakes and cookies, and Olive Garden donated some of the meal.
In addition to this dinner and celebration, each family received a gift basket with goodies to help them spend time together as a family. Congratulations to each of these families on the strides they have made forward.