109 Pageviews Read Stories
- EIN 27-4828866
- info@formedfamiliesforward.org
- (703) 539-2904
- 4031 University Dr Ste 100 Fairfax VA 22030 USA
- www.formedfamiliesforward.org
- Facebook page
- Add to Favorites
Promote This Nonprofit
Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Health, Public Health
Mission: Formed families forward's mission is to improve developmental, educational, social, emotional and post-secondary outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and other special needs through provision of information, training and support to adoptive and foster parents, and kinship caregivers.
Programs: Formed families forward provided more than 15 on-site trainings and webinar trainings for adoptive and foster care parents, kinship caregivers, and education and social service professionals. More than 200 individuals participated in our training events on topics of relevance to "formed" families raising children and youth with disabilities and other special development needs. Topics included understanding the impact of trauma, how to advocate for the special educational needs of children in care, making special education work for children in adoptive, foster and kinship families, and understanding the educational impact of prenatal alcohol and drug exposure. In addition to training, we conducted direct consultations with 70 parents, caregivers and professionals, responding to requests for information, systems navigation and resource linkages, we published an annual update to our northern virginia formed families resource directory, with descriptions of and hotlinks to hundreds of local, regional, state and national organizations, groups and businesses available to support the educational, disability, independent living, mental and physical health, and other needs of formed families. Formed families forward hosts twice-monthly youth & young adult peer support groups, as well as parent/caregiver support groups focused on issues related to raising children with special needs. The groups are facilitated by clinical professionals and are provided free of charge.