Families Forward Virginia strongly supports the draft regulation 22VAC40-705, sections 60 & 200, to implement the Parental Child Safety Placement (PCSP) Program as established by Chapters 629 and 662 of the 2024 Acts of Assembly. As a leading organization dedicated to promoting family well-being and the prevention of child abuse and neglect, we recognize the critical importance of this program in ensuring the safety and stability of children during times of family crisis. This program offers an essential framework for protecting children while prioritizing family involvement and kinship care.

By emphasizing kinship care and placing children with trusted relatives or fictive kin/ family friends, the program ensures that children remain connected to their loved ones and their cultural and emotional roots. We commend the program’s focus on keeping children within their family networks, which helps to reduce trauma and promotes stability in their lives.

We also support the opportunity for public input, as this will ensure transparency and community engagement in the program’s implementation. This aligns with our organizational values of collaboration and collective impact, as strong community support is vital to the success of any child welfare initiative.

We believe this program will provide necessary protections and support for Virginia’s most vulnerable children while keeping them connected to their families and communities.