Our mission is to find kinship, adoptive and foster families for every child in Virginia’s foster system through collaboration with youth, families and agencies.
We work to recruit and retain foster, adoptive, and kinship families so children in foster care can find permanent, loving families. We do this by sharing the stories, collaborating with other agencies, and educating prospective foster-to-adopt parents. Thank you for taking the first step towards finding a permanent, loving family for every child in central Virginia!
More than 700 children in central Virginia are in foster care, many waiting to be adopted. Each and every child deserves a permanent, loving home!
ABOUT US
Kinship and Adoption
Gabriel and Noah share what they look forward to with a new family:
“With my family, I would like to live with them, laugh with them, have fun with them...something important to me in a relationship is having each other's back...My friends would describe me as humorous, artistic, loyal, and kind." - Gabriel
“I might have just met you, but I will still care about you so much.” - Noah
Our Mission
JFS Connecting Hearts’ mission is to find kinship, adoptive, and foster families for every child in Virginia’s foster system through collaboration with youth, families and agencies.
JFS CONNECTING HEARTS
PLACING CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE WITH RELATIVES AND FAMILY FRIENDS
Kinship is the process of placing children and youth into care with close relatives; whether that be a grandparents, older siblings, extended family or a "fictive kin," meaning members of the child's community that have a strong relationship with the child or youth but are not biologically related.
Kinship is the most succesful form of adoption in the United States because the transition and adjustment period can be less abrupt and disruptive for the child and family.
How does JFS find family members for children and youth currently in Foster Care?
JFS creates a family tree using social media sites such as Facebook, obituaries, ancestry.com, and various search engines. Once phone calls begin, family members help expand the list by suggesting other relatives and spreading the word through word-of-mouth.
What happens to the information JFS finds about the child’s/youth’s family members?
We identify up to 150 family members on the family tree. They are contacted to assess their interest in serving as a placement option or support system for the child or youth. After gathering this information, the family tree data is exported to an Excel spreadsheet and shared with the Department of Social Services (DSS) as well as the child or youth.
How do the family members and the child/youth get to know each other?
Most children and youth in congregate care participate in family therapy. The progression of supervision during therapy typically begins with phone calls, followed by visits at the facility, then off-site visits, day passes, overnight stays, and finally weekend passes.
Is JFS only looking for family members who can bring the child/youth into their home and family?
JFS is looking for relatives or friends who can provide placement or support for a child or youth. This person should be willing to spend quality time with them.
What does the family have to do before the child/youth can come to live with them?
If the child or youth has a relative available, they can be placed immediately after completing the application and a background check. However, in most cases, we encourage the family to participate in family therapy sessions both before and after the placement of the child or youth.
Are there other requirements the family have to fulfill afterwards?
The family is required to submit certain documents, attend training sessions, and complete a home study. Additionally, a family member must become a certified foster parent within six months. Once a child or youth has been in the home for six months (referred to as the "honeymoon period"), the Department of Social Services (DSS) can petition the court to proceed with the adoption.
Does the child/youth get to pick the family member they want to live with?
At the age of 14, a young person can advocate for themselves regarding their living situation, provided that the home they wish to reside in meets the Department of Social Services (DSS) approval for safety and passes a background check. Additionally, individuals can participate in meetings concerning their case starting at the age of 12.
What if the family wants to adopt the child/youth?
After a child or youth has lived with their family for six months, known as the honeymoon period, the Department of Social Services (DSS) can petition the court to proceed with the adoption, provided that both the family and the child or youth agree.
Contact: Denise Wise-David, BA - Program Manager
Denise is instrumental in connecting relatives, fictive kin and adoptive families to children and youth in foster care. Her leadership was key in JFS' being awarded the Relative and Fictive Kinship Recruitment and Adoption Through Collaborative Partnership (ATCP) grant, funded by the Virginia Department of Social Services. Denise has also enjoyed providing fictive kinship care to children in her community, using her home as a haven. Denise has many years of experience working in the Human Services field in the private sector from East to the West Coast.
dwise-david@jfsrichmond.org / 804-787-0747 / Facebook / Instagram
ADOPTION THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP (ATCP)
LOVING FAMILIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE
Adoption Through Collaborative Partnerships (ATCP) supports local social services agencies (DSS) across Virginia by preparing youth and families for adoption. JFS aims to reduce barriers for youth, families and agencies while ensuring placement in stable, long-term homes. Our services begin with family recruitment. We strive to find families seeking certification, assist them in finding the best agency match to become licensed foster parents and connect them with our adoptive youth. After the child is placed in the home, we conduct visits and provide ongoing communication and support for both the child and the family. When the adoption process begins, JFS is there to help DSS prepare legal documents and ensure the finalization process is as smooth as possible.
Connecting Hearts is Looking for Forever Families for:
Joziah, 16
Joziah loves being helpful and affectionate. He would flourish in a household that enjoys doing activities together. When asked what he would want to do with a family, Joziah says he would like them to take him places like the park and the movies and play games with him. He defines family as a kind and helpful group of people.
https://americaskidsbelong.org/project/joziah-2/
Savannah, 14
If given three wishes, Savannah's first wish would be a family. Savannah is a social butterfly who loves anything pink. She is active in sports and has a special love for dogs. Savannah would love a family with a strong female role model and sisters for her to play with.
https://americaskidsbelong.org/project/savannah-va01322425-2/
Josh, 12
Josh has a great sense of humor and finds joy in making people laugh. He loves listening to gospel music and aspires to be a preacher one day. Josh would do best as an only child with a family that is able to take the time to talk to and be patient with him.
Hunter, 12
Hunter is a cowboy at heart. He would do best as the youngest child in the home. Hunter loves everything to do with cars: matchbox cars, tractor pulls, trucks, and vehicle mechanics.
Contact: Ron Rathers
Ron has recently started working for JFS as a case manager for Adoption Through Collaborative Partnership (ATCP). He connects children and youth with loving homes, hoping that these relationships will lead to adoptive placements. Ron has 30 years of experience serving the community by working with disadvantaged youth through the NYSP program in New York City, at Child Haven Youth Shelter, and Juvenile Probation & Parole in Las Vegas, NV. He also has 15 years of experience as a Family Service Specialist in Child Protective Services, CPS Ongoing Services, and foster care services.
rrathers@jfsrichmond.org / 804-282-5644, ext. 249 / Facebook / Instagram
Contact: Raven Williams
Raven has a strong passion for working with children and youth. Raven is committed to providing supportive services in all settings and to placing every child safely and thoughtfully into a stable home through the Adoption Through Collaborative Partnership (ATCP) programs at JFS. With many years of experience serving youth in need of placement, including juveniles from across the Richmond, Virginia area, Raven has developed a compassionate and informed approach to care. This background has reinforced a commitment to advocating for the safety, stability, and well-being of every child served.
rwilliams@jfsrichmond.org / 804-282-5644, ext. 249 / Facebook / Instagram
Connecting Families and Children
Weekend Miracles
Weekend Miracles helps bring together children and adoptive families over fun events like rock climbing, bowling, apple picking and other fun, enriching activities to encourage families and children to build relationships in a relaxed atmosphere.
Foster Care Awareness Month
National Foster Care Month (NFCM) in May is a significant opportunity to spread the word about the needs of more than 391,000 children and young teens in foster care nationally. This year's NFCM theme - "Engaging Youth. Building Supports. Strengthening Opportunities." - shines a light on how we can best support young people and help them successfully transition to adulthood. This theme mirrors one of the Children's Bureau's priorities: ensuring young people leave care with strengthened relationships, holistic support, and opportunities.
"(Family meant to me) Someone who protects me, someone who gives me love, someone you can spend your life with, so I can be loved, so I can feel like I belong." - Joseph
Kinship Awareness Month
September is recognized as National Kinship Care Month, a time to acknowledge and support families who have stepped in to care for their relatives' children. This year's theme of - "Engaging Youth. Building Supports. Strengthening Opportunities." - shines a light on how we can best support young people and help them successfully transition into adulthood.
We aim to place children and youth aging out of foster care with a Kinship family member. This partnership's primary goal is to work collaboratively with the Commonwealth to place youth residing in congregate care with relatives or fictive kin to support timely reunification and permanency. The initiative also attempts to place older youth living in non-relative home-based care for 12 months or longer with relatives of effective foster care before aging out of the foster care system.
"What I'd like people to know about me is I'm a cool kid...my friends describe me as goofy...what family meant to me is people that actually care, people that love you, and would do anything for you." - Khyleif
ADOPTION AWARENESS MONTH
A HAND TO HOLD
This fall marked 11 years of JFS Connecting Hearts' partnership with WTVR CBS 6 on the multi-media Adoption Awareness Month campaign, "A Hand to Hold." Three times every day in November, CBS 6 featured children in foster care awaiting loving families. The children featured are often the most difficult to match with a great home: teenagers, groups of siblings and kids with complex medical needs.
Thank you to everyone who tuned in to CBS 6 or shared our posts on Facebook! With your help, we can expand our reach and connect every child in Central Virginia's foster care system to a permanent, loving family! A special thanks to VA Kids Belong for providing the videos! Visit https://www.vakidsbelong.org/.
The goal of the campaign is to find these 30 children forever homes, but also to raise awareness about all the other children in need of permanent, loving homes.
A Hand to Hold" 2025 by the numbers:
- Over 4.4 million views on WTVR’s Facebook page
- 5k+ views on JFS’ website
- 216.5k+ views on JFS’ Facebook page
- 8.7k+ views on JFS’ Instagram page
Facebook: facebook.com/ConnectingHeartsVA
Instagram: instagram.com/JFSConnectingHearts
FAQ
