News & Announcements Home
The original item was published from 5/24/2019 3:13:00 PM to 10/4/2022 2:52:24 PM.

News & Announcements

Health & Human Services

Posted on: May 24, 2019

[ARCHIVED] Loudoun County Foster Parents Celebrated for Exceptional Service

Photo of Board of Supervisors Ceremony Honoring 2019 Foster Parents of the Year

Loudoun County is celebrating and recognizing local foster parents for their service to the community. 

Loudoun County’s foster parents were lauded by the Department of Family Services at a recognition event last week. The foster care program is currently supporting 60 children ranging in age from birth to 21 years old. 

The Board of Supervisors adopted a proclamation at its Thursday business meeting honoring Lamont and Lillian Ford of Ashburn as Loudoun County’s Foster Parents of the Year. The Fords were named as Loudoun County’s Foster Parents of the Year by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG). 

COG partners with local and state child welfare agencies from 10 jurisdictions in the region to recognize outstanding parents on an annual basis. COG cited the Fords for providing their foster youth connections to their biological families and investing their time into attending meetings and advocating for all the foster youth who have lived with them. As the COG citation stated, “While they have had struggles, like many families who foster teens, they don’t give up and keep pushing for what is best for the child.” The Fords most recently agreed to foster a 17-year-old who eventually became part of their forever family. A video featuring the Fords, which was produced by COG, can be viewed here.

“The parents in our foster care program continue to demonstrate unwavering patience, understanding, and compassion for the youth in our community,” said Loudoun County Department of Family Services Director Glenda Blake. “Foster parenting is a commitment unlike any other and we are so incredibly proud and thankful to each and every one of our foster parents for supporting and nurturing our youth.” 

Foster care is a protective service provided to children in the custody of the Department of Family Services. It provides substitute, temporary care for a planned period of time when a child must be separated from his/her own parents or relatives because of neglect, abuse, abandonment, or other issues endangering their health and/or safety. Foster care also provides support services to birth families. The primary goal of foster care is to provide a safe place for a child while the biological parents become stable or until a suitable relative is identified.

Find out more about foster parenting and how to become a foster parent at www.loudoun.gov/fostercare

# # #

Facebook Twitter Email