Family Services Grant Program

How this program helps people

The Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) program funds can be used for services designed for family preservation and family support for families with children at risk of out-of-home placement and for family reunification and adoption services for children in foster care. The services may be provided by local public or private agencies, or individuals, or any combination of resources. Receipt of the funding through the fiscal agent, the local department of social services, is based upon approval by the state of individual community plans that are developed from comprehensive community-based needs assessments.

Healthy Families is an intensive home-visiting program for children from birth to five years of age to improve pregnancy outcomes and child health, promote positive parenting practices and healthy child development, and prevent child abuse and neglect. Home visitors provide higher-risk families with intensive parent education, support, and referral to needed community resources such as health care, housing, and counseling.

The Community-Based Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention (CBCAP) Grant is a federal program to help public and private nonprofit agencies establish and expand statewide networks of community-based family resource and support services to prevent child abuse and neglect. The state uses an RFP process to determine recipients.

The "Hugs and Kisses" play, a nationally acclaimed play for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, is designed to increase awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse. The VDSS Division of Family Services contracts with Richmond’s Theatre IV to perform "Hugs and Kisses" plays at schools throughout the state.

Data Notes

PSSF - Expenditures: 2000 expenditures reflect the federal fiscal year, not the state fiscal year. SFY 2007 expenditures do not reflect the full SFY allocation because of a change in the year-end cutoff date for inclusion in the total.
PSSF - Number of Individuals/Families Served: In SFY 2012, the increase was due to inclusion of numbers served under the Strengthening Families Fatherhood grants. Starting with SFY 2022, this count includes families served by the Adoption through Collaborative Partnerships (ATCP) program. Starting in SFY 2025, counts were switched from number of families to number of children served.
Hugs and Kisses Play - Expenditures: The increase in SFY 2012 expenditures is due to new grants and changes in the obligation/liquidation cycle outlined by the federal government.
Hugs and Kisses Play - Number of Individuals/Families Served: Counts represent estimated number of children attending the play using VDSS funds. For FY 2021, no attendance is available due to the COVID-19 pandemic. FY 2021 funds were used to produce virtual Hugs & Kisses performance and a teacher’s guide.
Healthy Families - Number of Individuals/Families Served: Prior to SFY 2008, family counts likely were an overcount due to variations in reporting by participating agencies. The SFY 2008 reporting form clarified how to count families receiving services. Starting in 2023, SFY 2017 to SFY2021 historical counts were readjusted to include counts of families only, as had been the unit of analysis up to SFY 2017.
Community-Based Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Grant - Number of Individuals/Families Served: Beginning with SFY 2006, counts represent unduplicated families. The definition of counts for "direct services" was changed. The counts represent direct services to families, and do not include a variety of indirect services and training also funded with CBCAP funds. Starting in FY 2022, grant and reporting cycles changed from State Fiscal Year to Federal Fiscal Year.

Data Sources

Division of Family Services Program staff
Report on Federal Contracts, Grants or Money, FAAS Year-End Reports

Family Services Grant Program