Department of Family Services

CONTACT INFORMATION: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
703-324-7500 TTY 711
12011 Government Center Parkway, Pennino Building
Fairfax, VA 22035
Michael A. Becketts
Director

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Strategic Partnerships

The Department of Family Services Recognizes Strategic Partnerships of 2024

We feel fortunate to have so many dedicated partners in Fairfax County who share our work and vision for helping our community thrive. The partners below were recently recognized at a DFS special event.

SkillSource Group

David Hunn - SkillSource GroupCollaborating with David Hunn, President and CEO of the SkillSource Group, to deliver essential workforce development services to unemployed and underemployed residents, as well as to small and medium-sized employers, has been an honor and privilege for DFS.
David’s four-decade public service career includes transformative leadership in workforce development. His exceptional leadership and ability to build and sustain strategic partnerships have made a lasting impact on our community. Leveraging the county’s infrastructure, we have benefited from SkillSource Group’s agility in pursuing grant opportunities and designing pilot initiatives.

Our strategic partnerships extend beyond our two organizations. David’s team has joined us in Talent Up, an initiative aimed at enhancing economic mobility for county residents while addressing recruitment challenges of small businesses. Additionally, our collaboration with SkillSource Group and the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services has extended the EYE (Educating Youth through Employment) summer work program for young people over many years now. David has also fostered impactful partnerships with entities like the National Council on Aging, securing significant grant funding for workforce development.

David's advocacy with state and federal workforce agencies has led to administrative changes that focus on the needs of those we serve. He has been keen on listening to our staff and presenting their recommendations at various state and federal forums on our behalf. His dedication to workforce development has been invaluable.

Medical Care for Children Partnership Foundation

MCCP DFS recognizes the outstanding partnership and achievements of the Medical Care for Children Partnership (MCCP) Foundation. For over 35 years, this award-winning, nationally recognized public-private partnership has improved health outcomes for vulnerable children in Fairfax County. In collaboration with our DFS PAES Division and the medical community, the MCCP Foundation ensures access to comprehensive medical and dental services for families who are otherwise ineligible for Medicaid or other healthcare options. Currently, 3,439 children are enrolled in the program, with countless more benefiting since its inception.

With Executive Director Marcia Twomey at its helm, the MCCP Foundation is a true champion of children’s health and wellness, actively engaging the community through events such as food distribution, Culmore Community Day, and Give Kids a Smile, among many others. Their efforts embody our DFS values of equity, partnership, innovation, people-focused, and accountability, and we are proud to be their partner. We at DFS extend our deepest appreciation to the MCCP Foundation for their invaluable partnership and extraordinary contributions to the community.

Northern Virginia Family Service

Northern Virginia Family ServiceNVFS has been a critical and long-term partner with Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Division of DFS. NVFS is a participant in the Domestic Violence Action Center partner referral pilot project aimed at assessing efficacy of DVAC partner referrals.

NVFS has been partnering closely with DSVS Clinical Services around serving victims/survivors as well as those who cause harm. We are looking at opportunities to partner in providing groups in South County, reducing wait lists, and responding to the changing standards with Domestic Violence Intervention Programs. They have come to the table every time we have asked to collaborate and have provided valuable feedback and partnership in each endeavor. 

NVFS is the sole partner on the Resilient Kids Thriving Families grant from the Office on Violence Against Women. When the other grant partner needed to back out of the grant, NVFS did not flinch when we asked them to take on more work. They are nimble in their response to the needs of the community and creative when it comes to meeting the needs of children who have been exposed to DV. They have been able to respond quickly in the aftermath of DV- related homicides that have touched whole communities. They developed and are operating the only group for children and their parents exposed to DV in Fairfax County. 

NVFS also graciously partnered with DSVS in the Culmore Conversations when it was apparent that DSVS was not the best situated agency to take on the work that was needed. NVFS has collaborated with DSVS and Second Story and leads conversations about violence prevention every month in a community with extraordinary opportunity and high needs. The Culmore Conversations have created many opportunities that did not previously exist to build relationships and create programs where they did not previously exist. 

SafeSpot

SafeSpotSafeSpot has been a long term and valuable partner to Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Division of DFS in serving the needs of children impacted by sexual and domestic violence. Their leadership of the child maltreatment multi-disciplinary team has supported a culture of collaboration among law enforcement, attorneys, child welfare practitioners, and service providers that centers the protection of children and reciprocal learning. They create a supportive experience for the families they serve throughout the forensic assessment, family advocacy, and child counseling process with attunement to the experience of families impacted by domestic violence.

SafeSpot has grown in capacity to become the main provider of free short-term counseling for sexually abused children in Fairfax County, in Spanish as well as English.  This has opened up DSVS capacity to meet surging demand for counseling in English and Spanish for children impacted by domestic violence, maximizing the collective community impact of these complementing services.

SafeSpot frequently coordinates referrals of family members of children they serve to DSVS for counseling whenever they are impacted by domestic or sexual violence, so that between the two organizations, everyone impacted within the family can receive timely help to support their resilience.

The Women’s Center

The Women’s CenterThe Women’s Center has long been a valuable partner to DSVS. The Women’s Center is one of the founding members of the Domestic Violence Action Center partnership and currently partners with Fairfax County on an OVW federal grant to provide community-based bilingual advocacy services.  

The Women’s Center’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services Program provides a continuum of care that includes crisis intervention, danger/risk assessment, safety planning, options counseling, information and referral to community-based resources, and assistance with immigration matters.

The Women’s Center has been a dedicated and committed partner in the DVAC referral pilot project, which aims to assess the effectiveness of DVAC partner referrals. And they made adjustments to their internal data collection systems to enable their participation in the pilot. Their involvement was crucial in advancing the partner referral project.

Project Belong

Project BelongProject Belong encourages churches to serve children in foster care.  PB recruits and resources local churches to provide support.  They support through various programs including:

  • Support for social workers through care groups, VA Social Stars Program (with notes, lunch, words of encouragement for social workers), and regular free lunches provided for staff.
  • Support for adoptive and foster families (meals, mentoring, respite, connecting to concrete supports).
  • Support for youth who age out- mentoring to youth by families.
  • And encourages families to foster and adopt.

One of our core values is in DFS is to be people-focused. The work we do is challenging and profoundly impactful to those who serve our community.  Project Belong’s support over the years has helped our employees' well-being and professional development which ultimately helps them deliver the highest quality of service and support to our community.  Their partnership advances our mission to “ strengthen the well-being of our diverse community by protecting and improving the lives of all children, adults, and families through assistance, partnership, advocacy, outreach, and quality services.”

Project Belong’s unwavering commitment has not only uplifted our spirits but has also equipped us with the essential resources we need to navigate the complexities of social work. From providing care groups that offer a sanctuary for our practitioners to share and heal, to generously sponsoring lunches and events that bring our team together.  These gestures have a profound impact on our collective morale and motivation. Project Belong has shown time and again that they truly understand and value the heart of our work. Thank you, Project Belong, for being a steadfast partner in our journey. Your support means so much to us and empowers us to continue striving for excellence in our work. On behalf of everyone at our organization, thank you for being such a remarkable and supportive community partner.

Fairfax Virtual Assistant