​Every day we work to build healthier, stronger, more self-sufficient families two generations at a time. So that means that the heart of our family-wellbeing work is social justice work. We can only transform systems when we’re conscience of and horrified by the current conditions of our culture as well as the history of violence that has shaped them. We will keep pushing for change and openly challenging systemic racism, blatantly dangerous practices and violence that target our children and families.

Thanks to a significant grant from the Administration for Children and Families, CHIP of Virginia is now well on its way to establishing an evidence base of effectiveness for the great successes children and families have achieved through the program for more than 30 years.

The ACF Family Self-sufficiency Demonstration Grant is enabling CHIP to improve internal evaluation processes while preparing the network to conduct rigorous research that will create an evidence-base in family self-sufficiency and health, and use this evidence to strengthen the program across Virginia.

Also the Va. General Assembly is a few weeks from finishing its work, and we’ve been busy advocating for children and parents all session. Learn about our wins for children and families as well as where we still have A LOT of work to do.

With COVID-19 infections continuing to surge across the country since summer, public health workers and health care providers have increased their efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccines, both to contain the spread of the virus and, if breakthrough infection occurs, to markedly reduce the risk of severe illness or death.

We encourage everyone who is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine to do so, because it protects us, it protects our children who are not yet eligible, and it protects our vulnerable family members and friends.

Plant a Pinwheel for Prevention while supporting our work of disrupting the cycles of child abuse, neglect and poverty two generations at a time. In these unusual times, preventing child abuse and neglect are especially important, even if we can't physically plant pinwheels together. That's why this year's pinwheel garden is virtual and nationwide!
Donate and plant a pinwheel in support of #GrowingBetterTogether!

Congress is poised to introduce a bipartisan emergency COVID relief package on Tuesday. Unlike prior proposals, it DOES NOT currently include funding for MIECHV.
Please take a minute to reach out to your Congressional delegation TODAY and urge them to prioritize $100M in relief funding for MIECHV home visiting in the next emergency stimulus package.

Right now, our elected leaders are in Richmond discussing and making decisions about children and families. The three topics for the special session are: COVID-19, State Budget and Criminal Justice Reform.  Both the House and Senate are revisiting the entire state budget AND debating and discussing bills. Help people you serve by emailing legislators and asking them to prioritize children and families in the state budget.

Families Forward Virginia along with Voices for Virginia’s Children and the Virginia PTA announced the results of their parent survey on child care. The survey, offered in English and Spanish, was conducted May 12-17 and had 880 responses from parents and caregivers of children ages 0 to 13 across Virginia.

​Communities across both Virginia and the nation are struggling with infant formula shortages driven by a food-safety recall earlier this year by one of the largest formula manufacturers. Many parents and caregivers are concerned, stressed and even frightened as they try to figure out how they will feed their babies and medically fragile children.

In this session, Bart Klika, Chief Research Officer at Prevent Child Abuse America, will share a framework that demonstrates how the national landscape is setting the stage for a shift to family wellbeing and strength-based approaches that can be implemented at the state and local levels. Then Jamia Crockett, CEO of Families Forward Virginia, will share the highlights of Virginia’s Child Abuse Prevention Plan, including how Thriving Families, Safer Children focuses on holistic child wellbeing.

Virginia’s Plan for Home Visiting addresses the Commonwealth’s key priorities for pregnant persons and families with young children and sets a bold strategic direction for growing services to achieve collective impact. Informed by the Early Impact Virginia statewide home visiting needs assessment, and with input from more than 200 stakeholders at the local and state levels, this Strategic Plan provides the context and direction necessary to fully operationalize the Plan for Home Visiting.

We’ve seen workplace safety guidelines from federal, state and local authorities change rapidly in response to the highly transmittable Covid-19 Delta variant, which is why we’re asking all of our affiliates and community partners to reinstitute face-covering requirements, if you haven’t already done so, to protect both yourselves and the children and families you serve.

We’re excited to share that the Families Forward Board of Directors has selected Jamia Crockett as our next Chief Executive Officer!

After wrapping up her time at Mary Washington Healthcare, Jamia will officially join Families Forward as CEO the third week of February.

The House and Senate have finally agreed on changes to the 2020-2022 state budget. The conference budget now goes to the Governor’s office where he will be able to propose amendments during a reconvened session in November.

Here are updates on this Conference Budget affecting our 2020 Policy Agenda.

Our elected leaders came to Richmond last week for a special session of the Virginia General Assembly and we’ve been advocating for you and the families you serve, so we want to share an update. All meetings are virtual in terms of citizen participation/input and you need to register to speak in advance.  

Families Forward Virginia has worked to build healthier, stronger, more self-sufficient families by disrupting the cycles of child abuse, neglect and poverty two generations at a time. That’s because for far too many generations, families have been held down and held back through inequity and institutional racism. That’s why we’re at the table influencing more policies, programs and legislation that help children and parents build strong, resilient families.

Families Forward Virginia has been awarded a $50,000 Primary Prevention grant by Prevent Child Abuse America with funding from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, to support the organization’s work to transform child welfare policy and systems, focused on building sustainable, long-term partnerships and pathways between primary and downstream child abuse and neglect prevention efforts. The funders are awarding a total of $500,000 over a two-year grant period to nine Prevent Child Abuse America state chapters selected for funding. 

Families Forward Virginia is now part of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-Being—a first-of-its-kind effort that will provide resources and support for five to seven selected jurisdictions, localities and communities that create, build and collaborate with people who have lived experience, other community organizations, civic groups, and non-traditional service providers in the development of a Family Resource Center framework that focuses on advancing primary prevention initiatives.

We're committed to promoting legislation, policies and programs that help to prevent child abuse and neglect, support healthy childhood development, and strengthen families.
We’re preparing to advocate for our communities and the families we serve in 2022. The Virginia General Assembly convenes on January 12, 2022 to begin a 45-day session in which a new two-year budget will be created. 

Join us and Prevent Child Abuse America in contacting your lawmakers and urging them to act now to reauthorize the bipartisan Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and increase funding for this important program.

Governor Northam announced his package of budget changes on Dec. 16th. We have a lot of work to do in restoring funding for Home Visiting as a Medicaid supported program.

And now it is time for me to explore what is next, I’ll be leaving Families Forward in December. The Board of Directors will lead the search for my replacement and the Families Forward Leadership Team and I will support them in every way possible to ensure a thorough search and the selection of someone who will continue our good work and who will support our culture. During this time, the services and support we provide will continue per normal, or as normal as working during a pandemic can be. 

Our work depends on relationships with families, learning together, face to face. How does that work during a pandemic? We’ve gone from in person to completely virtual operations, including: ...