There is a direct link between father involvement and child safety and well-being.  Just like mothers, fathers are crucial to a child’s healthy physical, emotional and psychological development. Children in and out of foster care with involved fathers are at lower risk for delinquency, teen pregnancy, drug use and dropping out of school. DCHS provides specialized fatherhood engagement services to families experiencing foster care.

• National Fatherhood Initiative
• VA Dept. of Child Support Enforcement 

Each June is National Reunification Month and Fatherhood Awareness Month.  DCHS offers programs and services that focus on reunifying children in foster care with their parents and families.  We celebrate fathers and the importance of a father’s engagement with his children and family, especially during the reunification process.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, fathers and paternal family members play a crucial role in children’s growth, development and well-being, and engaged fathers can increase the potential for reunification when a child is in foster care. 

Check out year-round opportunities to support at-risk children in Alexandria, including volunteer and mentoring opportunities as well as programs to employ youth. You can also help enhance the lives of resource families and children in foster care through The Fund for Alexandria’s Child, which provides extra-curricular activities and other childhood experiences for children in foster care.