Family Services – Community Corner

Jennifer Madison’s can-do attitude and dedication have earned her a lot of respect among staff in the Department of Family Services. Her willingness to go above and beyond helps ensure systems run smoothly so frontline staff can focus on providing care and support to vulnerable children and families. This led her to selection as one of this year’s recipients of the prestigious Sharon Bulova Award for Exemplary Administrative Professionals. Learn more about this dynamic staff member and why she was nominated.

Across Fairfax County, many grandparents, relatives, and close family friends are quietly stepping into an essential role: raising children when parents are unable to do so. If you are caring for a grandchild, niece, nephew, younger sibling, or the child of someone close to you, you are considered a kinship caregiver. While this role can be deeply meaningful, it can also be challenging to navigate alone. Learn how the Kinship Assistance, Resources, and Education (KARE) program connects kinship caregivers with support and resources to meet children’s needs in the May issue of the Golden Gazette.

A protective order (sometimes called a restraining order) is a court order instructing a person to stop abusing or harassing another person, often related, for a fixed time. Need a protective order? Learn more about the steps to filing for one in Fairfax County.

Attend Fairfax County’s AccessAbility Fairfax on Thursday, July 30! This free event is designed to connect you directly with county agencies and partners, get personalized assistance, and discover valuable programs designed to support you and your loved ones. Learn about reduced-cost transportation programs, financial assistance options, housing assistance, mental health services, and emergency resources. There will even be a limited quantity of $50 transportation gift cards for qualifying attendees! Learn more and pre-register now.  

April 24, Volunteer and Partner Services held its annual Volunteer and Partner Appreciation Dinner. It was an opportunity to extend our deepest gratitude to all the volunteers, sponsors, and donors who have made this last year of community service possible. Thank you to the donors from Fairfax County and beyond who contributed to the fun, food, prizes, giveaways, and more. You helped make the night a success! Catch a glimpse of the sights and sounds.

In this country, nearly 20 people every minute are physically abused by an intimate partner--that’s more than 10 million women and men a year. And domestic violence knows no boundaries, impacting people of every ethnicity, gender, religion, socioeconomic class, immigration status, and sexual identity. Learn more about the crime of domestic violence and find out how Domestic and Sexual Violence Services supports survivors.

Staff were all smiles last week at the DFS Workforce Development all-staff meeting as they came together for a morning of learning, strategic planning, and collaboration. We encourage job seekers to continue growing and developing their skills, and staff do the same to keep serving you better! Sessions offered insights about aligning efforts and initiatives with long-term goals, new outreach strategies and opportunities to reach job seekers, and utilizing LinkedIn as a platform to network and highlight both individual presence and professional work. Headshots taken by a talented colleague and interactive team building rounded out the energetic meeting. Learn more about how our dedicated staff provide workforce development services to the community.