Welcome to the 2025 July issue of Foster Family News, a monthly newsletter for current and potential Fairfax County foster parents. Our monthly newsletter shares resources, news, tips, events, and trainings relevant to foster and adoptive parents, children in care, and the resource workers who support them.
| Table of Contents |
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| Feature Articles |
| Events Central |
| Support Groups |
| FAQs, Story in Stats & Foster Care Facts |
| Trainings and Conferences |
As we start a new fiscal year, we’d like to take this time to introduce the new In-Service Training Team supporting resource parents with Fairfax County Foster Care and Adoption. Starting July 1, Natalie Sposato, William Marrow, Patricia Aviles-Cubillos, and Wilmer Ramirez are taking over the in-service curriculum in addition to pre-service training while Neda Ghodsi will provide training support.
The team’s hope is to cultivate a sense of community through active participation in our In-Service Training classes. As you may remember, the state requires that all certified resource parents complete 10 hours of in-service training per year. The goal is to provide valuable knowledge and skills to add to your trauma-informed parenting toolbelt. We aim to continue to provide/foster:
- A user-friendly registration process.
- Follow up calls/emails to ensure participation.
- Anonymous evaluation forms to promote positive change in content and process.
- Subject matter experts leading training courses.
- A collaborative dynamic when planning training topics for the upcoming year.
- Collaboration with the Resource Unit to ensure a smoother re-certification process.
- Resources outside Fairfax County DFS where you can also complete your State-required in-service training hours.
Fairfax County’s Foster Care and Adoption Program remains committed to providing resource parents with quality training and the necessary tools to assist in your fostering journey. We look forward to meeting you all! Upcoming classes will be posted to the training website.
Summer fun in the sun is something many of us look forward to all year! Unfortunately, summer activities also come with some seasonal risks to keep in mind. The Parenting Education Programs has gathered some tips from safety experts to help you keep your children safe for many summers to come. Check out these ways to help prevent avoidable accidents.
For this couple, their lives had not been complete since moving to Fairfax County from their home in Puerto Rico due to relocation orders. The move had upended their family, and they sought help from our department with their custody petition. Learn more about this family’s journey and the services we provide the community.
Youth in foster care face many invisible educational obstacles. Changing schools a lot, having less stable and supportive relationships with teachers and other students, and being less involved in extracurriculars can make it hard to do well in school and graduate. National statistics show that by age 21 about 70% of children in foster care have graduated from high school compared to 87% for all US high school students.
That’s why we are excited that 20 youth in Fairfax County foster care have beat the odds to graduate from high school, college and other professional certification programs this year. We plan to celebrate their hard work and achievements at a special ceremony this summer. Join us in letting them know how proud the community is of their amazing accomplishments by donating items on their personal wish lists to help them with their next stage of life. Thank you for your support!
“The outlook can be bleak for those who leave foster care without permanency — they face high rates of homelessness and unemployment, and struggle to reach educational goals. In most places, continuing to participate in extended foster care provides a monthly stipend to help cover the costs of housing, food and other basic necessities like utility bills and transportation. Participants may have access to supportive housing programs and continue to have case management with a child welfare social worker.” Foster parents have the ability to encourage older foster youth in your care to continue participating to help them ease into life as an adult. Learn more in this Fostering Families Today article.
Many foster parents or parents considering adoption may be concerned about the challenges and unknowns about caring for a child who has been exposed to drugs prenatally. As opioid use has increased in the United States in recent years, so has the number of children coming into foster care as a result of a parent’s opioid use according to this Adoption Council article. Read on for some of the basics of what this trend looks like in real life for families and children born substance exposed.
Monthly Foster Care Information Meeting
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
6:45-8:30 p.m.
Are you curious about becoming a foster parent? Are you or someone close to you ready for the next step to help children that need a temporary home? We need more foster parents, and information meetings are one of the ways we get to know prospective parents. Information meetings for prospective parents are by invitation only. To attend the meeting first complete a short interest form to help us get to know you better, and you will be contacted promptly by one of our specialists. The full 2025 meeting schedule and additional information are available online. Check it out and share it with others who might be interested.
Family Day at Urbanna Swim Club hosted by Foster the Family D.C.
Saturday, July 12
4-7 p.m.
Urbanna Swim Club
8030 Urbanna Rd
Manassas, VA 20109
Join us for a summer pool party! Admittance will be paid for by Foster the Family. Free pizza and snow cones will be served and all are invited to join for a time for gathering! Register here by July 7.
Kids Day Out (Previously known as Respite Nights) hosted by Foster the Family D.C.
Occasional Kids Day Out events offered on Saturday evenings in three counties in the DMV area. During a Kids Day Out, we provide 3 hours of free child care in a safe, fun, trauma informed space. These events are for any children, ages up to 12 years old in the home of local foster, adoptive, and kinship families. Spots are limited and first come, first serve. Registration will close the Monday before the Kids Day Out.
- Saturday, July 19 in Alexandria, VA from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Register Here
Summer Family Picnic hosted by Formed Families Forward
Friday, Aug. 1
5-7 p.m.
1315 Ross Dr. SW
Vienna, VA, 22180
Families are invited to participate in a community service project followed by a BBQ dinner. Southside Park features a playground and nature trails. After dinner, kids will enjoy some fun entertainment surprises! **New this year** teens will participate in a special activity: “Thinking Outside of the Box & Into the Future.” Participating teens (13 and older) will receive an Amazon gift card! Learn more.
The Department of Family Services supports families and county residents of all ages and stages of life – and that definitely includes foster parents and families! Like and Follow @FairfaxCountyFamilyServices for news, events, tips, stories, training opportunities and more.
A variety of organizations offer support to adoptive, foster, and kinship care families in our region. Register online for a preferred support group.
Monday, July 14, 6:30-8 p.m. – Foster the Family D.C. Support Groups for foster, kinship, and adoptive moms throughout the region. Support group attendance may count towards training and recertification hours. Childcare registration is limited and will close by Friday, June. 6.
- Prince William County, Register Here
- Fairfax County, Register Here
- Montgomery County, Register Here
- Virtual Support Group, Email to be added to the list
- Alexandria, VA on Tuesday, July 15: Register Here (*No childcare available yet!)
Each newsletter will include this section to help answer questions, spotlight the people who support foster families, highlight the donors and sponsors who generously give to foster care programs and activities and friendly reminders for foster families to sign-up for trainings.
When do we engage relatives in foster care process?
Answer: Searching for and engaging relatives is an ongoing process throughout the child’s involvement with the child welfare system. It should begin as soon as the child is at risk of being placed outside of the home and continue with a sense of urgency until the child has achieved permanency. Even when placed in safe and loving foster homes, children often want a connection to their biological family.
Relatives and other individuals can provide important connections and support for the child at risk of or in foster care. They can help the child in preventing foster care, during the foster care experience, in transitioning to permanency, and throughout adulthood. Strong connections with family members provide the child with stability, long-term safety nets, and the necessary foundations for success in adulthood.
Within 30 calendar days (5 days when feasible) after the separation of a child from the custody of the parent(s) (Social Security Act, Title IV, § 471 (a) (29) [42 USC 671]), the Department shall notify in writing all grandparents and other adult relatives, both maternal and paternal. The purpose of the written notice is to explain to the relative options they have to participate in the care and placement of the child, in an effort to establish permanency for the child.
The goal of reunifying the child with birth parents or prior custodians is, in most cases, the best plan for a child. However, ongoing engagement of relatives allows for the concurrent goal of adoption by a relative or placement with a relative. Engaging relatives can reduce the number of children aging out of foster care without a permanent family and increases the number of children leaving foster care to a permanent, safe, and loving home.
The process of engaging relatives should be guided by the desires and needs of the child, consistent with the child’s developmental level. The child should be involved as soon as possible in the process, taking into account the child’s circumstances and best interests.
As family members are identified, opportunities for reconnecting and re-engaging them in the child’s life should be explored. When family members indicate interest in connecting with the child, the Department will engage these individuals to gather information, build relationships, and explore relative placement options for the child.
Relationships with family members and other adults should be reconsidered throughout the child’s involvement with the child welfare system. The child’s needs and desires, and the individual’s circumstances may change over time. Someone who initially was not able to assist the child may be a valuable resource at another time.
(Information adapted from Virginia DSS Foster Care Policy Manual).
Check out other frequently asked questions and answers from past issues.
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