Support Groups; Grandparents - Kinship Program

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), in partnership with other Fairfax County departments and agencies, offers services and programs for grandparents and other family members raising children.

Kinship care is increasing as a result of family challenges, including military responsibilities, serious physical illness, financial difficulties, serious mental illness, substance abuse, incarceration, child abuse and neglect, AIDS, domestic violence, and the death of the child’s parent. In Fairfax County, according to the 2010 Census, approximately 5,000 households identified themselves as having a grandparent or other family member raising children.

Support groups for families raising children of relatives meet twice monthly at two sites in the county.

Contact Nancy Coffey, Department of Family Services, at nancy.coffey@fairfaxcounty.gov or (703) 246-3099.