Home 
Directory 
Search 
Calendars 
Knowledgebase
Welcome
The Bureau for Children and Families is responsible for the operation of a
number of programs that affect families and children. Because of the number of
different programs and the rules for those programs, visitors to this web site may
sometimes find it difficult to locate the information they want. In order to assist
visitors to this web site the following general information is provided for their
use.
1. Organization of the Bureau
Staff are located in every county in West Virginia. The staff in the Bureau's State office in Charleston, West Virginia are responsible for program and policy development, finance and management, research and evaluation, and other similar administrative activities. Learn more about the State Bureau Office.
Bureau staff located in the county offices are responsible for the day to day delivery of services such as child and adult protective services, foster care, adoption, financial assistance, and foodstamps.
Decisions about individual cases are made by the staff in the county offices and complaints or concerns about those decisions should behandled at that level. There is information on this web site about how to make a complaint and the process for resolving complaints. Please see Social Services Complaints and Social Service Grievance Hearings.
2. Information About Programs
There is a wide variety of information about the programs operated by the Bureauon this web site. Some of the names of these programs or terms used to describe the servicesprovided through this Bureau may be unfamiliar to you. In order to obtain the information you need it is recommended that you visit the Bureau Knowledgebase of Frequently Asked Questions or search the site.
3. Reports of Persons in Need of Protection
Bureau staff operate programs to protect children and adults from abuse and neglect. If you need to make a report about achild or an adult do not use this web site to do so. This information should be reported to the office in the county in which the child or adult lives as soon as possible. Reports may also be made through the toll-free Hot Line at 1-800-352-6513. If you want to make a report to a county office please visit the DHHR County Office Locator.
4. What's New
The bureau has released a revised Criminal History Background Check policy. This policy is available for review or download in the Adobe PDF or MS Word formats. This and other policies can be found on the bureau's Online Policy Directory.
5. Child and Family Services Review
West Virginia's Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) was conducted the week of September 15, 2008. The CFSR is the Federal Governments program for assessing the performance of State Child Welfare agencies ability to achieve positive outcomes for children and families for safety, permanency, and well-being. It is authorized by the Social Security Amendments of 1994 requiring the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to promulgate regulations for reviews of state, child, and family service programs under Titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act. The CFSR is implemented by the Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within HHS.
The results of the CFSR are based on the Statewide Self Assessment and the on-site review. All states are required to develop a two year Program Improvement Plan (PIP) 90 days following receipt of the Final Report. Once the PIP is approved, states must monitor their progress quarterly.
