JFS Connecting Hearts Family Alliance

Name: Jewish Family Services
Address: 6718 Patterson Avenue, Richmond, VA, 23226
Telephone: 804-282-5644

Begin Your Journey

The mission of the JFS Connecting Hearts Family Alliance is to support families throughout their foster, adoption, or kinship journey with peer support, education, and mentorship. The JFS Connecting Hearts Family Alliance is open to all foster, adoptive, and kinship families in Virginia.

Want to join JFS Connecting Hearts Family Alliance? Just click here!

Resources

Learning is a life-long enterprise, and it’s even more true as you begin your foster, adoption, or kinship journey! The children coming into your life have faced incredible challenges that impact their emotional, physical, and social development. We want to be certain you have access to the essential parenting tools you need to foster their positive growth.

Below you will find our own webinars on a variety of topics, archives of our newsletters, as well as links to outside resources!

Webinars

Getting Started

How You Can Help When You Can't Foster
Learn how you can make a difference in the life of a child in foster care - even if you can't be a foster parent yourself.

Starting Your Foster Care Journey
JFS Connecting Hearts' Cate Hawks walks you through the steps to starting your journey to foster, adoptive, or kinship parenthood.

The Journey
Denise and Cate discuss the journey to becoming a foster or adoptive parent in Virginia.

Welcoming a Child into Your Home
We will discuss ways to help a child acclimate to your home, rules, and expectations. Other families may join in and discuss activities they are used to help children feel more comfortable and welcome.

Family First Act 101
Cate explains how the Family First Act could impact foster, adoptive, and kinship families.

Kinship Care 101
Cate Hawks covers the basics of Kinship Care and how families can navigate it.

Adoption Assistance 101
Josh Kroll from the North American Council on Adoptable Children introduces the basics of adoption assistance.

The Court Process in Adoption
Adoption attorney Colleen Quinn joins us to discuss the court system and adoption and answer your questions about the process.

A Conversation about Kinship
Garrett Jones from the Virginia Department of Social Services joins Cate Hawks for a conversation on kinship care.

Kinship Webinar
A great webinar on kinship care, featuring conversations with former youth in care.

Support for Parents

Creating Your "Support Village"
JFS Connecting Hearts' Cate Hawks shares tips and stories about creating a healthy and productive support system to fuel your energy to nurture the children in your family

Foster Care and Financial Security
JFS Connecting Hearts' Cate Hawks talks through common questions about finances and foster care.

NACAC and Adoption Assistance
Cate is joined by Josh Kroll, Project Coordinator for NACAC's Adoption Subsidy Resource Center to learn more about resources available for adoptive families.

Recognize and Honor your Limits: Self-care is not Selfish!
An open discussion about strategies we all are using to ensure we are placing the oxygen mask on ourselves first as we work to help others.

Grief and Loss
There are so many joys in foster care. Grief is also a reality, but it doesn't have to overshadow joy! Learn more from social worker Jessica Carty, MSW, LCSW.

VDSS Commissioner on Reunification
Join Cate Hawks and the Commissioner as they discuss the upcoming expectation for reunification starting July 1, 2021. There will be a lot of focus on kinship placements and support for those families.

Support for Youth

Identifying and Accessing Covered Services for Children
Learn about free services that can help your provide care to children in your home, including reimbursable services.

Understanding the Children's Services Act
The Children’s Services Act exists to support the needs of children across multiple state and local agencies. We will discuss when and how to access this program when your children are in need of additional supports.

The Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
Cate explains the educational supports available to youth in foster care.

Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program
Sharon Coombs from the Virginia Department of Social Services explains the ETV program and answers questions about finding educational and trade school opportunities after high school for children in foster care or who've been adopted from foster care.

The Unique Needs of Our Kids in Care Amidst the Pandemic
Jessica Carty, LCSW, MSW, shares information and resources on the needs of children in foster care amidst the pandemic.

The Impact of Trauma on Children in Care
JFS Connecting Hearts' Jessica Carty shares great information on the effects of trauma and strategies for parenting through a trauma-informed lens. If there's one thing we recommend foster, adoptive, and kinship parents to learn about, it's trauma.

Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Barb Clark, a Parent Support and Training Specialist with the North American Council on Adoptable Children, joins us to cover this serious topic.

Bright Tomorrows
Representatives from JFS Connecting Hearts, Virginia's Department of Social Services, the Department of Labor and Industry, and ProjectLife discuss how we can support older youth in foster care.

Lunch with Eric Reynolds
Cate chats with the newly appointed Virginia Children's Ombudsman about his priorities and responsibilities.

Love Makes a Family: Interviews with Foster and Adoptive Families

Love Makes a Family: Ellena
A young woman adopted from foster care shares her incredible story.

Love Makes a Family: Lori
Lori tells her amazing story about her journey as a foster and then adoptive parent.

Love Makes a Family: Henrietta
Henrietta shares insights about her path as a foster and adoptive mother!

Love Makes a Family: Rachel and Roger
Rachel and Roger share their journey with how they became adoptive parents.

Love Makes a Family: Bianca and Brian
Join the Martins as they share their journey with kinship care.

Love Makes a Family: Shawne and Rodrigo
Cate chats with a wonderful couple about their foster care journey.

Love Makes a Family: Sarah and Doug
Denise interviews foster parents Sarah and Doug.

Other Resources

Trainings for Parents

Ten questions and answers about getting started on your foster care journey.

Eleven steps to adoption in Virginia, by the Virginia Department of Social Services.

The National Foster Parent Association provides many free, online trainings.

The Foster Parent College also has additional educational opportunities. These do cost money, but they are credentialed courses with training certificates. If you are fostering through a public social services department, the course may be free – reach out to your social worker to find out.

Our friends at CRAFFT offer trainings and other resources.

The North American Council on Adoptable Children also provides essential trainings for prospective or current adoptive families.

The Center for Adoption Support and Education is a Virginia leader in education and support for families facing the challenges of mental illness or behavioral conditions impacting children in foster care or adoption.

Voices for Virginia’s Children is the leading non-partisan advocacy organization for foster care, adoption, and kinship care in Virginia. If you are interested in advocacy, we encourage you to stay informed through this organization. They also offer advocacy training!

Trauma

Knowledge of trauma and trauma-informed care is one of the most essential skills you will need as a foster, adoptive, or kinship parent. Trauma impacts every aspect of the lives of children in foster care. We encourage you to learn more about its impact and how you can have a positive influence on children living through trauma. Two nationally recognized resources are the Trust-based Relational Intervention model from the Karen Purvis Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ manual, “Helping Foster and Adoptive Families Cope With Trauma.”

The Children’s Bureau provides the basic foundation for understanding why trauma is such a critical focus in foster, adoption, and kinship care.

Parenting from a trauma-informed lens helps families to build their resilience and improve the overall experiences for the whole families. This educational tool from the Children’s Bureau is a helpful resource.

Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is one of the most respected training programs on trauma-informed parenting. You can learn more here.

If you are interested in knowing more about trauma and children in foster care from a scientific research perspective, you may find this link helpful.

Our neighbors in North Carolina also offer some very helpful resources for foster, adoptive, and kinship families. Here is an older article about trauma and children that is still relevant today.

Robyn Gobbel is a licensed master social worker with many certifications in trauma-informed care. Her blog dives into understanding trauma and the brain, offering real-life tips and help as you parent children who come to us with histories of trauma.

After High School

This webpage provides you and the youth in your family with access to information about educational vouchers, Medicaid, Fostering Futures (extended foster care support), and numerous resource links for youth getting ready to begin adulthood.

Great Expectations specifically helps youth coming out of foster care and entering community college or trade school programs.

Foster Care 2 Success is a national program that can help families and youth navigate resources to assist with college.

Supporting Yourself and Your Family

There is a tremendous focus right now on strategies for at home and virtual schooling. Together We Rise is an incredible source of support for children and their families. If you are impacted by the at home and virtual schooling reality, we think you may find this to be a helpful resource.

Most of us have happy memories of our families during the holidays. For children in foster care, kinship care, or even adoption, they can be bittersweet. If you’re looking for ways to support the children in your home during the holidays, this article could be helpful.

The National Foster Parent Association puts out a great annual tax guide for foster parents! Click here to download this year's copy. (.pdf)

We also found a great resource about family support that may help you consider who to bring into your “support village” and how to interact with your them. Take a look at this resource for some great insights.

It came to our attention that many families struggle to help their children process chaotic or violent events on the news. This resource has great tools for talking with the children in your family.

We know that this continuing pandemic is creating many challenges for families. It’s often hard to explain to children the importance of taking precautions without scaring them. We did a little research and found a great resource for you! Click here to learn what UNICEF has to say about how to process COVID precautions and expectations as a family.

Children who are eligible for Medicaid and placed in foster care will be transitioning from traditional Medicaid to Medicaid managed care. This transition to managed care will enhance the coordination of health care services for children. The Department of Medical Assistance Services’ (DMAS) contracted Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) provide additional services such as a 24-hour nurse advice line, case management/care coordination, toll free member helplines, and disease management programs focusing on various chronic conditions such as pediatric asthma, diabetes, and obesity. Visit DMAS' website to learn more.

Kinship Care

A slideshow introduction to kinship care.

This short brochure from the Virginia Department of Social Services explores options for relatives of children in foster care.

Support Groups

We believe that support for the foster, adoptive, and kinship journey is important for a rewarding and successful experience. But, one size does not fit all when it comes to emotional support. JFS Connecting Hearts’ Family Alliance is committed to offering the support you need, whether joining a group works best for you or you prefer help on an as-needed basis. We are here for you at every step of your foster, adoptive, or kinship journey.

If you want support on your schedule, click here to join our Family Alliance support group on Facebook! The Facebook support group is also a place for you to post issues, questions, concerns, and celebrations to share with other parents. You can tune in for support anytime, day or night, and the JFS Connecting Hearts team and other Family Alliance members will be there.

Check out our blog post about some of the benefits of joining a support group. We will also share information on our calendar from support groups across the state. If you need help finding a support group in your area, contact Lori at ljacocks@jfsrichmond.org.

Laws and Policies

One of the important services we can provide to support you and your family is to keep you informed about state and federal legislation, laws, regulations, and policies that impact you. In this section, you can learn more about the legislative processes and how to raise your voice in support of children and families. Our monthly Family Alliance newsletter also features news about laws related to foster care, kinship care, and adoption – you can find the newsletter archive in the Educational Resources section above.

Federal Laws and Policies

To learn about who you can contact regarding federal legislation, click here to find your members of Congress. (While your state representatives may be aware of federal initiatives and willing to inform a member of Congress about their support or opposition to a piece of legislation, they do not have a vote.)

Once a bill is introduced in Congress by either a Senator or Representative, the bill is likely to be amended and even combined with other legislation. If you want to learn more about how bills become law at the federal level, click here.

A few facts about bills introduced in Congress:

86% of bills introduced do not progress to a legislative hearing.
96% do not become law, either because they are combined with other bills or because the failed to gain the votes to proceed.
Bills are seldom passed the same year they are introduced. For example, the landmark Family First Prevention Services Act took over three years of negotiation and amendments to become law.

When a bill is signed into law, the federal agency charged with carrying it out is required to issue guidelines and directives to state agencies. Often states must submit a plan describing how they will enact the law. Then the federal agency considers the state plan, provide further direction, and eventually give their approval.

Virginia Laws and Policies

In Virginia, the General Assembly is part-time: the legislative session runs from January to March, although special sessions can be called. The General Assembly alternates between short sessions and long sessions for considering the biennial state budget. You can learn more about the Virginia General Assembly’s process here.

To make your voice heard on state bills, contact your state Delegate or Senator. You can learn who your representatives are here.

If you would like to testify before a General Assembly committee about the impact a bill would have on you or your family, this page provides helpful information about the process.

The Virginia General Assembly maintains a calendar of meetings and events located here.

Once a bill becomes law, it may require regulations to explain and enforce it. In Virginia, these regulations have the same impact as law. All regulations begin as proposals that are open for public comment. The general public can comment on any proposed regulation, and state agencies have a process for considering those comments. This link takes you to Virginia’s Regulatory Town Hall. You can search topics of interest to learn about what regulations are currently being proposed.

Virginia also has a policy and guidance process to provide information to people and organizations that work with Virginia government. These policies are not legally enforceable but may have financial implications for those that fail to follow them. The Virginia Department of Social Services uses a number of citizen and agency committees to help formulate their policy and guidance documents. This process allows people to help inform the agency about the needs and expectations of its citizens. Here is a link to some of the Virginia Department of Social Services’ policy and guidance manuals regarding foster care and adoption.

Stay up to date on laws related to foster, adoptive, or kinship care by joining the Family Alliance or following us on Facebook.

Contact: Denise Wise-David

If you are interested in becoming a foster or foster-to-adopt parent, would like to get involved in our organization, or want to share your foster care or adoption story, please do not hesitate to contact us!

dwise-david@jfsrichmond.org / 804-282-5644 ext. 280 / Facebook / Instagram

You can also fill out a contact form by clicking here.