About CRAFFT
The Consortium for Resource, Adoptive, and Foster Family Training (CRAFFT) is a joint initiative between the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) and Norfolk State University, Radford University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. CRAFFT promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children by helping shape stronger foster, adoptive, respite, and kinship families (collectively referred to as resource families) who serve local Departments of Social Services to meet the needs of children in Virginia's child welfare system.
CRAFFT’s goals are:
- to increase the knowledge and skills of prospective and currently approved resource families through the development and delivery of standardized, competency- based, pre-and in-service training, as required by VDSS; and
- to build capacity among (LDSS) to train and assess their own families.
There is a CRAFFT Coordinator assigned to each of the five VDSS regions to respond to the pre-service and in-service training needs of LDSS resource families and LDSS staff. Most of the trainings offered by CRAFFT are open to all LDSS resource families and staff in the assigned region. However, occasionally trainings are limited to resource families and LDSS staff from one agency/locality.
Current or prospective resource families interested in participating in a training provided by CRAFFT should contact their LDSS worker to express their interest. LDSS will contact CRAFFT to schedule trainings and to enroll prospective parents.
