Virginia Governor Kaine Announces Casey Foundation to Work with State, City of Richmond to Transform Child Welfare System

Foundation to consult on First lady's "For Keeps" foster care initiative

June 25, 2007 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine and L. Douglas Wilder, Mayor of the City of Richmond, announced today that the Annie E. Casey Foundation will provide consulting services in an effort to develop family-focused, community-based services for young people.

The Baltimore-based Foundation will work with state and city leaders in partnership with First Lady Anne Holton’s “For Keeps” foster care initiative to design permanent family connections for older children in foster care, or at risk of entry into the foster care system.

“The Casey Foundation is recognized as a national leader in child welfare reform, and I am pleased they will work with us to test a combination of training and management practices aimed at strengthening family permanence,” Governor Kaine said. “This partnership will help the state and the city to develop models that will improve the outlook for Richmond youth – models which we then can replicate statewide.”

“I am thrilled that Casey has agreed to partner with us to improve our child welfare systems,” said First Lady Anne Holton. “Their decision both complements and validates the great work already underway across the Commonwealth at the state and local levels. Virginia’s vulnerable families and children and the professionals who support them will benefit from a significant investment of time and energy from top national experts.”

Under the new partnership, Casey will work closely with the Office of the First Lady, the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, the City of Richmond’s Department of Social Services, and other local agencies to apply best practices in child welfare. For example, the team will work with state and city leaders to develop and implement practices that involve families and their supports in placement decisions in order to assure permanent family connections for youth entering the child welfare system.

“We are excited to have the chance to partner with Casey and the Commonwealth on behalf of Richmond's youth,” Mayor Wilder said. “With this partnership, we hope to create a child welfare system that supports families and reflects our vision for making real, positive changes for our neighborhoods and our City.”

This summer, the team – which will include representatives from the State Department of Social Services and the State Office of Comprehensive Services – will begin examining the state and city systems in order to better understand agency processes and identify key areas for reform. Their recommendations, due by fall 2007, will guide the next phase of Casey’s work.

“Virginia has been selected to work with the Casey Foundation because our state and local leaders have a clear commitment to improving child welfare practices,” says Anthony Conyers Jr., Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services. “Instead of prescribing a ‘one size fits all’ solution, the team will consider our specific needs and resources as we strive to provide the safest, most efficient services that we can.”

The Annie E. Casey Foundation, established in 1948 by UPS co-founder Jim Casey, is devoted to improving public policies and human service reforms that affect the lives of vulnerable children and families. The Foundation’s consulting group accelerates system reform by combining management practices with Casey’s expertise in public system reform.

Source: Virginia Governor

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