In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1339, an omnibus foster care bill that addresses a range of issues identified in a 2018 report of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).[1] One of JLARC’s charges was to evaluate state and local efforts to recruit and retain foster parents. Noting the longstanding shortage of foster families, JLARC found that “[d]espite the known shortage of foster families in Virginia, and the fact that the shortage has been documented for years, VDSS currently has no plan, dedicated funding, or staff to systematically recruit non-relative foster families.” The report also noted the absence of reliable statewide information on current foster family availability. “Without this information, it is not possible for the state to identify shortages of foster families, such as for particular groups of children or areas of the state.” Accordingly, the JLARC report made four recommendations regarding foster parent recruitment:
- Require every local department of social services to provide semi-annually to VDSS a list of all licensed foster families in the locality, including contact information, placement preferences, demographic information, number and ages of children currently being fostered, and the number of other children in the home;
- Direct VDSS to develop and maintain a statewide strategic plan for recruiting and retaining foster parents that would identify localities with the greatest need for foster families; articulate state and local strategies to fill these needs; and specify the roles and responsibilities of staff in the state’s local departments, regional offices and central office in implementing the plan;
- Establish six positions—five regional staff and one at the central office—at VDSS responsible for implementing the statewide strategic recruitment and retention plan and supporting local efforts;
- Direct VDSS to determine the amount of funding necessary to implement the statewide strategic plan and to identify all possible sources of funding for that purpose.
Senate Bill 1339, which significantly increased the state department’s authority to hold county agencies accountable for compliance with foster care requirements, addressed each of the foregoing recommendations as follows:
- Requires each local board to submit to VDSS the names of all licensed foster parents and to update such list quarterly;
- Directs VDSS to develop and implement a data-driven strategic plan, to be updated biennially, to improve the recruitment and retention of foster parents;
- Directs VDSS to ensure that regional offices responsible for oversight of foster care and adoption services are equipped with sufficient staff. Each of the five regional offices of VDSS must have no fewer than four staff to, among other things, find family-based placement options for children who are at risk of being placed in congregate care.
In addition, 2019 amendments to the state’s biennial budget added $2.8 million in state and federal funds and 18 positions, including 10 additional regional foster care and adoption staff, a regional project manager, and five positions for monitoring foster care cases. An additional $100,000 was provided to fund a dedicated position to oversee the state’s foster care recruitment efforts.
[1] Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Report to the Governor and the General Assembly of Virginia: Improving Virginia’s Foster Care System, December 10, 2018. http://jlarc.virginia.gov/2018-foster-care.asp