Videos About Voices & Stories

This blog traces the history of foster care in Virginia from colonial Poor Laws and orphanages to modern trauma-informed practices.  It highlights key reforms, including the Social Security Act, CASA, and Extended Foster Care programs.

Becoming a foster parent is not easy, but it is worthwhile. Foster parents are vital in the lives of children needing protection and care in Virginia, as in other states. Every foster parent has their own story, but most face similar difficulties and have similar happy and significant life events.

Fostering is a severe undertaking in Virginia.  It involves creating a home where kids and even teenagers who have either been abused or neglected or have been through challenging situations can be kept safe, secure, and nurtured.  Being a foster parent in Virginia requires meeting specific criteria, including being at least 21 years old, having financial stability, and ensuring the safety of your home.

Real stories from families who have adopted are super important. They show how love, acceptance, and belonging are really meaningful. Adoption fills empty spaces, brings stability, and makes strong connections. It changes lives, giving hope when there wasn't any before. These stories are all about being strong, caring, and celebrating differences. 

We help foster children, but how much we can help depends on finding, training, and certifying foster parents.  Facing nearly 527,000 children in the United States foster care system in 2023, the task can feel overwhelming.  At FosterVA, helping children in foster care is deeply meaningful to us.  FosterUSKids is the only national resource for individuals seeking to become foster parents.  People can help children and families in many ways.  Perhaps the most needed help is also the most rewarding: providing a safe and nurturing foster home to foster children and teens in need.

It can help to read foster care quotes to feel the inspiration of this labor of love and gain more insight into the process. Check out these 21 foster care quotes to get started.

Do you want to show your support for a social worker or foster parent? If so, these foster care appreciation ideas are an excellent place to start. Here are just five foster care appreciation ideas you may consider when you are showing your care.

He stated that he thought it would all be one-sided since he was the one who reached out to help the child.  Still, in reality, quickly, he was shown that it is a symbiotic relationship once you get your child to love and care for.  He's learning so much about himself, and I could feel the emotion as he explained it with amazement.  I recall that he couldn't even see this far down the pike initially, and now he's raving over the bond they have formed. 

Martian Child: A Movie Review - Foster kids can often feel like unwanted imposters or aliens, unsure how to fit into an already established life.

Looking for a feel-good movie for the family? I highly recommend watching Blindside, a funny and heart-warming story for everyone, which will open your eyes to the world of adoption.

Fellow stars joined Idina Menzel for CBS' 21st Annual 'A Home for the Holidays' Christmas Special. This festive-themed performance raised awareness for adoption and America's foster care system.

The National CASA volunteer office wants to give every foster child an Advocate. Advocates are qualified and amazing people who step up and put the time and effort into providing the courts with an accurate picture of the child's perspective and best interests.

A review of the movie Playing with fire. A great movie showing the courage of kids in foster care in the USA.

Instant Family is a fantastic movie for all future foster and adoptive parents.  Foster parents give it a 10, a great way to start a conversation about fostering.

I have often heard this question: Why are adopted people so headstrong and intent on finding out who their birth parents are?" Some call this quest disloyalty to the parents who brought them into their homes and lovingly raised them.

For me, being in foster care was completely exhausting. I say exhausting because every day, I woke up wondering if that was the day I was going to have to move, yet again, to another placement. 

Disney's Safety shows why kinship care matters in Virginia foster care.  Learn how relatives provide stability, reduce trauma, and keep families connected.

Disney's new movie, "Safety," is an inspiring movie based on actual events that highlight the pros and cons of the child welfare system within the United States.  The movie follows the story of a college football player at Clemson University in South Carolina who took on the legal guardian rights and responsibilities of his 11-year-old brother.

November is National Adoption Month

A foster family's Perspective is when a child leaves your home and how they support each other and the bio children in the home.

An interview with one of Extra Special Parent's very own foster parents, Chrystal.  And the journey of being a foster parent in Richmond, Virginia.

Fostering teens has been where I have found my niche as a foster parent. 

What makes an aspiring FBI Cybersecurity professional change their entire career goals during their sophomore year in college? Fate.