The Bair Foundation Partners With the State of Virginia To Help Foster Children Who Have Waited Over a Year To Leave Residential Placements, Group or Foster Homes


The state has identified 20–30 children who are in treatment facilities, group homes or in foster homes unable to support them, who will need foster families trained by The Bair Foundation to support their healing and transition planning.

The Bair Foundation is one of three select agencies chosen to partner with the state of Virginia to help foster children during a transition from residential treatment facilities. Professional Treatment Foster Care (PTFC) is a specialized form of foster care that is designed to meet the unique needs of children with significant emotional, behavioral, medical, and mental health needs.

In June 2022, the state of Virginia added $1.1 million to create an enhanced treatment foster care pilot program to support foster homes caring for high acuity children. In addition to enhanced programming and training, families will receive an annual stipend of $45,000. The state has identified 20–30 children who are in treatment facilities, group homes or in foster homes unable to support them, who will need foster families trained by The Bair Foundation to support their healing and transition planning.

The added support for parents will include specialized training and weekly therapeutic support to meet the child’s individual needs. Families will have dedicated therapists and caseworkers for critical support, in addition to specialized training provided by The Bair Foundation.

“As more children with intense behavioral, mental and special needs linger in the system, finding foster families who are equipped to support these children is getting harder,” said Dr. Susan Miklos, Executive Director of The Bair Foundation. The goal of treatment foster care is to help the child heal and grow and ultimately return to their family or a permanent home.

The Bair Foundation has over 50 years of providing quality foster care services and is committed to meeting the needs of children and families.

Press Contacts:

  • Lynchburg: 300 Gristmill Drive, Unit C, Forest, VA 24551 Director: David Helfrich, Phone: 434-425-7157, dhelfrich@bair.org
  • Richmond: 2727 Enterprise Parkway, Suite 102, Richmond, VA 23294, Director: Adrienne Jones Phone: 804-288-8210, ajones@bair.org
  • Virginia Beach: 184 Business Park Drive, Suite 200, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Director: Jennifer Gilliam, Phone: 757-424-2861, jgilliam@bair.org

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