These webpages identify external resources on specific topics of interest to foster, kinship and adoptive families.
From the Legal Center on Foster Children and Education and the Annie E. Casey Foundation: Fostering Success in Education: National Fact Sheet on the Educational Outcomes of Children in Foster Care
Some students with mental health challenges and other conditions may be considered students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; some may also be considered students with disabilities who require special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Learn more about Section 504 with this Parent and Educator Resource Guide on Section 504 from the US Department of Education.
Report of Expert Panel: What Does Research Tell Us About Services for Children in Therapeutic/Treatment Foster Care with Behavioral Health Issues? This 2012 report summarizes findings from an expert panel convened by federal agencies to address research on effective approaches to TFC.
The Learning & Working Transitions RTC at University of Massachusetts Medical Center focuses on youth and young adults ages 14-30 who have serious mental health conditions, conducting cutting-edge research on age appropriate programs that support education, training, and working during the transition to adulthood.
The US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a number of web resources including a Behavioral Health Treatment Locator and the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Virginia offers opportunities that support, educate, and empower other families with children and youth with mental health needs while also promoting family driven and youth guided policy throughout the child serving systems.
Community Services Boards (CSBs) throughout Virginia offer a range of services for adults and youth with mental health challenges, as well as for those with intellectual disabilities and substance abuse problems. Emergency services are available.
Virginia’s Children’s Services Act provides for services to children and youth who are in foster care or require foster care preventive services, who require placement in private schools to receive special education, who have behavioral and mental health challenges, or who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.