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Shaping the Future of Child Welfare in Virginia: 2024 Budget Recap

  • Child Welfare
  • State Advocacy

By Allison Gilbreath

As Virginia grapples with the multifaceted challenges of child welfare, members of the money committees play a crucial role in shaping policies and providing funding to support vulnerable children and families. In this blog post, we will dissect the proposed budgets from both the House and Senate, focusing on key allocations aimed at improving foster care, adoption, and child welfare services. All funding listed is for fiscal year 2025 – 2026. 

Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, USA.
  1. Fund 7% Foster Care & Adoption COLA:
  1. Appropriate Nongeneral Funds for Local Staff and Operations:
  1. Develop the Kinship Care Prevention Program:
  1. Fund Child Welfare Forecast:
  1. Training Academy for Social Services Employees:
  1. Transfer Funding for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care:
  1. Fund Drivers License Foster Youth:
  1. Fund Kin First Consultants:
  1. Support Foster Youth in Great Expectations Program:
  1. Child Dependency Cases: Court-Appointed Attorneys:
  1. Pilot Programs to Increase Foster Care Adoptions:

What’s Next? 

As we look forward, Voices for Virginia’s Children is committed to continuing our advocacy for the needs of children and families within the child welfare system. We hope to work in partnership with long-standing partners Virginia Poverty Law Center and Legal Aid Justice Center to establish better legal supports for families in child dependency cases. Additionally, we are preparing for the 2025 legislative session by gathering more research and developing tools that will help shape policies and programs that best support Virginia’s most vulnerable children. 

Stay tuned as we continue to work towards a future where every child in Virginia is supported, protected, and given the opportunity to thrive. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of children and families across the commonwealth. 


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