What is Foster Care?
Foster care is intended to be a temporary rather than a long-term solution for children who have been removed from their birth family homes for reasons of neglect, abuse, abandonment, or other issues endangering their health and/or safety. Every effort is made to help the child remain with his or her family, however, when a child comes into foster care they are most often placed in a foster home. The foster family works as a team with the local department of social services, the biological family, the child (when applicable) and any additional community partners.
For more information, please visit...www.dss.virginia.gov/family/fc/index.cgi
What is Adoption?
The purpose of adoption is to place children who have been permanently and legally separated from their birth parents with a new family. It is a social and legal process which gives new parent(s) the same rights and obligations as biological parents.
For more information, please visit...www.dss.virginia.gov/family/ap/index.cgi
Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent?
Contact Mollie Payne at (540) 775-3599 or mollie.payne@dss.virginia.gov