WHEREAS, Virginia’s children and youth are our hope for the future, and we assert that all children deserve a safe, loving, stable, and nurturing home; and

WHEREAS, families, serving as the primary providers of love, identity, self-esteem, and support, are the very foundations of our communities, our Commonwealth, and our nation; and

WHEREAS, a child’s success is best nurtured within a child welfare system that is family-focused, child-centered, and rooted in the values of community, mercy, and grace, with the preservation of families as the highest calling of this system; and

WHEREAS, while Virginia has over 4,500 children and youth under 18 in foster care, there are at least 3,700 children and youth supported by a network of more than 5,300 dedicated, approved kinship, foster, and adoptive families who embody the Spirit of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, kinship families and foster families play a critical role in serving as a support, not a substitute, for the parents of children in foster care to make family reunification possible and to provide hope and stability when reunification is not possible; and

WHEREAS, kinship care is a valuable system that provides children with the stability and connection of knowing their caregivers and is linked to improved outcomes, increased permanency, and maintained family and cultural connections; and

WHEREAS, many foster families, both kinship and nonrelative, create lasting bonds for children through adoption, offering a safe and loving home when children cannot safely return to their birth families; and

WHEREAS, through the partnerships among kinship and non-relative foster and adoptive families, child welfare staff, and public and private child-serving organizations, efforts are made to ensure that voices are heard and support is offered for the transition of youth and young adults to successful independence; and

WHEREAS, the Parental Placement and Child Safety Program created a formal kinship care system for families prior to children entering the foster care system; and, since its implementation on July 1, 2024, more than 415 children have been safely maintained with their kinship families instead of entering formal foster care; and

WHEREAS, the Safe and Sound initiative was launched by Governor Glenn Youngkin to address the urgent crisis of children with unmet needs in foster care being placed in unsuitable conditions such as offices and hotels; and

WHEREAS, the Safe and Sound initiative has successfully brought together state government agencies, local departments of social services, and community partners with the common goal of ensuring all children have safe, stable, and secure placements; and

WHEREAS, the Right Help, Right Now initiative launched by Governor Youngkin in 2022 ensures Virginians, including youth, receive immediate behavioral health support before, during, and after crisis, and that parents struggling with substance use disorder can now access treatment more easily and be better equipped to be a stable parent for their children; and

WHEREAS, child welfare workers, including family services specialists at local departments of social services, play a crucial role in building partnerships, tirelessly dedicating themselves to the well-being and safety of children and youth in their care; and

WHEREAS, we honor and celebrate the enduring contributions of kinship, foster, and adoptive families during National Foster Care Awareness Month and recognize the outstanding service and commitment kinship, foster, and adoptive families provide to Virginia’s children and youth, while recognizing that foster care supports entire families;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize May 2025, as FOSTER CARE AWARENESS MONTH in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call upon all citizens to reflect on the importance of faith, love, and support in nurturing our children and families.