Become a Foster Parent in Loudoun County
Become a Foster Parent in Loudoun County
Loudoun County is in need of 15 foster parents to add to their ranks of approved foster families!
Loudoun County’s Department of Family Services (DFS) is hosting monthly virtual foster care information sessions this fall:
- Monday, September 15, 2025, 6:30pm-7:30 pm
- Tuesday, October 20, 2025, 6:30-7:30 pm
- Wednesday, November 12, 12pm-1 pm
During each session, DFS staff will discuss general information on foster care needs, eligibility requirements for foster parents, the process of becoming a foster parent and the support provided by DFS to foster families. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and sign up for next steps. Attendance is free, but registration is required. Families can register by going to Loudoun Foster Care & Adoption | Loudoun County, VA – Official Website
Attendance is free, but registration is required. Visit https://www.loudoun.gov/1004/Foster-Care-Adoption. For more information on foster care and ways that you can get involved to make a difference in our community.
What is Foster Care?
Foster care is a protective service provided to children in the custody of the Department of Family Services. It provides substitute, temporary care for when a child must be separated from his/her own parents or relatives because of neglect, abuse, abandonment, or other issues endangering their health and/or safety. The primary goal of foster care is reunification. While working towards this goal, the child is placed in a safe environment, such as a foster home or kinship foster home, while the biological parents work to resolve the challenges which led to the foster care placement.
Services and support are provided to the children, their biological families, and their foster families to achieve this goal. If reunification is not possible, another permanent plan, such as a custody transfer or adoption, is pursued for the child.
Children in Foster Care
The children in foster care range in age from birth to 21 years old; most are 11 years old and older. These children come from diverse backgrounds and may have experienced abuse, neglect or lived in families in need of supportive services. The needs of a child in foster care can vary but all children in foster care have a need for safety, permanency and well-being.
Foster Parenting
Foster parenting is caring for a child placed in your home through the local department of social services. The child placed in your care is unable to remain safely in their home with their parents or relatives. Foster parents are asked to provide a safe, stable, temporary and caring atmosphere for a child placed in their home.
