Healing the Family

SUPPORT VIRGINIA'S first FAMILIES
VKB recognizes that parents face a multitude of barriers when providing for all of their kids needs. Foster care is a temporary solution for families in crisis -- not a permanent separation. This temporary solution allows a community of foster and kinship caregivers, nonprofits and case managers to step in to identify resources, provide encouragement, and rebuild safe, stable homes where kids will thrive. When a family is stable, healing and reunification become possible.

Reunification

The primary goal of foster care

Reunification is the process of children and parents reuniting after a placement in foster care. Research shows that children do best when with their family, so reunification is always the primary goal of placements in care. It takes a supportive team of child welfare professionals, foster parents, school advocates and community support to help children and their families achieve a successful reunification.

Foster parents and kinship foster parents support reunification by keeping children safe and connected with their birth families while the birth parents overcome challenges and make strides towards providing a safe home for their children to ultimately return. Social workers, attorneys and judges work to make sure things are safe and fair. These relationships are critical to success.

Approximately one-third of the children who leave foster care each year are reunified with their first family.

Real Stories of Foster & Adoptive Virginia's Families

Supporting Reunification

Removing barriers

Five easy ways to support family reunification.

  • Help parents stay connected to their kids by offering rides to visits, encouraging progress towards goals,  or connecting birth parents with resources.
  • Wrap around a birth family to create a safe, stable home environment that they can maintain.
  • Advocate for both the kids and birth families as they navigate the foster care system.
  • Throw a Party! Often kids have been separated from their parents for 12-24 months and coming home is definitely worth a big celebration.
  • Support healthy reconnections for kids and parents through continued treatment programs and healthcare.

Helpful Links

Find the Information You Need

Supportive Connections

Sometimes reunification is not possible right now. VKB partners with organizations across the commonwealth that offer encouragement, training and resources to cope and work through the foster care system.  Each partner offers different resources and we love to make referrals. Please ask!

Need a Referral?

Stable communities Fund

In 2024, VKB established this fund through a generous grant to assist to support safe, stable placements for kids in care. Requests are considered by referral from a VKBfaith community, partner nonprofits, or socialservices agency. The fund may be available for for families pursuing reunification with 60 days.

Learn More

Legal resources

Birth parents have the right to have representation during court hearings regarding their child's status. The court may appoint a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) or a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) to represent the children. Learn more about the role of the birth parent.

Access Legal Resources

Volunteer

Looking for ways to support reunification through your local faith community or community group. Consider forming a team to work with your local social services agency to provide a welcome home party for any reunifications or offer rides so parents can have in-person visits with their kids while in care.  Everyone can do something. What's your something?

Volunteer Today