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- For Families
- Support Networks
- For Providers
- Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP)
- Evidence Based Practices
- Trauma Informed Care
Welcome to the Office of Child and Family Services.
If you are looking for services and supports for your child or adolescent, please visit the For Families tab.
Our vision is for children with behavioral health needs and their families in Virginia to be healthy, resilient, and thriving with access to a comprehensive integrated system of care that is community-based, trauma-responsive, family-driven, outcome-oriented, and culturally competent.
Major Policy Goals
- Improve access to a coordinated, consistent array of behavioral health services across the Commonwealth.
- Promote best practices in children’s community-based behavioral health services.
- Seek funding initiatives that support a comprehensive service array.
- Support integration of behavioral health services in primary care and schools
- Take a leadership role in promoting the system of care philosophy, by modeling the principles, collaborating at an interagency level, and involving families and youth.
- Promote opportunities for behavioral health equity across the state in under-served populations and with groups that have historically experienced racism or oppression in treatment access.
- Promote the development of family support and education.
Announcements
November 2023
The Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS), at the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), seeks applicants for their school-based mental services grant. This grant provides funding for school divisions to contract with public or private community partners to provide mental health services to students and trainings to school personnel, students, or community stakeholders such as parents and school-based mental health advocates.
School divisions are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date. Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed. Funds are available through June of 2024 with options to renew pending budget passage in the General Assembly.
Submissions are due by Tuesday, December 5, 2023 by 5pm.
School-based mental health application link
Budget Template School-based mental health
Informational presentation school-based mental health
Substance Use Disorder Service Availability Form
The 2012 General Assembly has added to section 37.2-505 of the Code of Virginia,
which on July 1, 2012 require CSBs to provide information to hospitals about their substance use disorder services available to minors. The Department has created a template, for download, that should be used to provide this information to hospitals.