COG works with local and state child welfare agencies to bolster foster and adoptive parent recruitment and retention initiatives. COG's child welfare technical committees provide a platform for this work, supporting local governments in the region through technical assistance and providing a place to discuss and track trends in foster care and adoption.
For youth who have aged out or are at risk of aging out of foster care, COG launched the Trailblazer Project, which provides critical support to students attending college, university, or trade school. Previously, COG partnered with NBC-4 Washington on Wednesday’s Child, a television segment that featured children who are waiting in foster care to be adopted. Hundreds of children in the region found an adoptive family after appearing on Wednesday’s Child.
Interested in becoming a foster parent? Check out these resources from area jurisdictions.
2024 Foster Parents of the Year
Child Welfare Resources
City of Alexandria
Arlington County
Charles County
District of Columbia
Fairfax County
Frederick County
Loudoun County
Montgomery County
Prince George’s County
Prince William County
News & Multimedia
-
News
May 27, 2015
In May, the COG Board recognized the 2015 Foster Parents of the Year for opening their hearts and homes to children in need. The honorees from Charles County,...
-
News
May 15, 2015
Outstanding foster parents from 10 jurisdictions around metropolitan Washington were honored May 13 by the COG Board of Directors as the region’s 2015 Foster...
-
News
November 4, 2014
November is National Adoption Month. It is an annual campaign to increase public awareness of the half million children who are waiting to be adopted from...
-
News
November 3, 2014
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) is re-launching a photo project to highlight and find loving homes for teenagers in foster care across...
-
News
June 6, 2014
COG’s Child Welfare Manager Kamilah Bunn and Arlington County Foster Parents of the Year, Ben and Shira Simon, appeared on NBC4’s public affairs talkshow,...