(Posted 2025 September)
What is the CFSR?
The Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) is the federal review process for all public child welfare systems in the U.S. Virginia will undergo its review between October 2025 and March 2026. This review helps to ensure agencies are meeting federal child welfare requirements and helps agencies strengthen their practice to achieve positive outcomes for children and families in the areas of safety, permanency, and well-being.
How does it work?
A random sample of 70 foster care and in-home services cases will be selected from across Virginia. A team of trained reviewers will visit the localities chosen, review the case records, and interview key people involved in the case. Interviews will include the foster care practitioner and supervisor, child (if old enough), parents (if available), and resource parents (of children in foster care). This could be you! Reviewers will also interview service providers such as therapists, teachers, CASAs, and others working closely with the family.
What will they ask about?
If a child in your care is selected, the review team will schedule about an hour to meet with you and ask you about things such as the services you’ve received from the foster care and adoption practitioner, how you feel about the support and resources you’ve received, and your thoughts on how things could be made better for children and their families. It’s important to be honest – the agency and the state will learn a lot from these reviews to help improve training, influence policy, and help the whole system work better.
Could this change anything with the case?
No, reviewers are independent of the Fairfax County Department of Family Services staff.
How can this help children and families?
When we know more, we can do better. The CFSR will help Virginia learn more about what parts of the system are working well – that we should keep doing – and what parts of the system need to be improved. Virginia will enter into a Program Improvement Plan (PIP) with the federal government to make targeted improvements in the areas the state needs to focus on.
What’s next?
If a child in your care is selected for review, you’ll get a letter from the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) notifying you, and someone will contact you to set up an interview. Otherwise, be on the lookout for updates, and we’ll share the results of the review next summer!
This article posting is part of the Foster Family News monthly newsletter designed to keep foster parents informed about all the new and notable happenings in Fairfax County.
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