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Barriers exist for LGBTQ people as both foster parents and foster children

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Budget Brings Mixed News for Foster Children, Advocates Say

: : Virginia lawmakers have released their proposed budget amendments, which advocates say make some positive commitments toward foster children and their families but still come up short. (Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM News) Clara Haizlett reported this story The Virginia House and Senate have released their proposed amendments to the two-year state budget. That includes their suggested funding for child welfare, which advocates say contains both good and bad news for children and families in foster care. The House and Senate kept all of the funding the governor proposed, about $16 million for positions in the Department of Social Services and $14 million for prevention services, which help keep children out of foster care entirely. But Allison Gilbreath with Voices of Virginia’s Children says they were hoping for more support.

'I Just Want to See Better Happen' - richmondmagazine.com

‘I Just Want to See Better Happen’ Young people who grew up in foster care become powerful voices for those still in the system Kamaria Wilburn will never forget hearing her foster parents talk about their motivations. “I’d listen to them literally sit down in front of us and talk about, ‘This is for the money. We don’t like them, but we need them here.’ That does something bad to an 11-year-old child,” she says. “I really wanted a family. … It kind of took [away] a piece of me.” Growing up in foster care, Wilburn developed strong opinions about what was wrong with the system. Foster parents should have to account for how they spend the stipends they receive from the state, she says. And every foster child should have an advocate — not just a social worker, but someone who will listen to their concerns and defend them.

Advocates Worry Foster Children Left Behind By State Budget

Clara Haizlett reported this story Leading up to the pandemic, lawmakers and advocates were making significant strides to improve Virginia’s foster care system. But now, advocates say they’re back to where they started.  Allison Gilbreath is the policy and programs director at Voices for Virginia’s Children.  “It s not necessarily that anything extraordinarily new is happening within foster care,” Gilbreath said. “It s just, we hadn t even gotten the band aid on correctly in the first place. And then this happened.”  In 2018, Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission performed a year-long study on the foster care system. The report revealed systemic issues in Virginia’s foster care system, including a lack of adherence to “basic safety requirements.” Gilbreath says the findings were “devastating” to the General Assembly.