West Virginia Child Care Association

10/09/2026

Ensure your agency is fully equipped to identify and report concerns by scheduling your mandated reporter training. Email us at [email protected] to request more information and secure a vital training session.

10/07/2026

10/06/2026

We are located between Fairmont and Grafton. But we serve clients from all over the State of WV!

They come here in pursuit of distinct goals: College, trade school, completing high school or earning a GED, getting a first job, renting an apartment.

No matter where in WV clients come from, they find a friendly and wholesome atmosphere, a staff ready to lend a hand, and resources for success in life. That's why our vision is to be the state leader in helping young men thrive.

09/25/2026

Inflexible rules keep creating placements that would never pass licensing requirements for foster homes, the author argues.

09/15/2026

The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS), Bureau for Social Services (BSS), has launched the WV Kinship Hub, a new online resource designed to help kinship and foster families understand their needs, identify next steps, and connect with resources. Families caring for children can face a wide range of needs, particularly when grandparents, relatives or foster parents step into a caregiving role.

The Kinship Hub uses simple, expert-designed screening tools to help families explore their needs across areas such as caregiver well-being, child well-being, family and parenting, health, education, financial needs, and social support. Based on their responses, users receive practical next steps and information about resources available in their communities.

“Families caring for children deserve to know that support is available when they need it. The Kinship Hub gives families a simple, private place to start, helping them better understand their needs and connect with resources without having to navigate a complicated system on their own,” said Carl Ayers, Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services. “We want West Virginia families to have the information and support they need to ensure their children thrive.”

Privacy was an important consideration in developing the Kinship Hub. Users do not have to provide identifying information, and the Hub does not track individual activity or collect personal information that can identify them. Responses are not stored in a way that can be linked back to an individual. Families can use the Hub on their own time and choose the areas where they would like additional information or support.

Available tools include:
● Caregiver Well-Being — Resources to help caregivers identify and address areas that may affect their own health and well-being.
● Child Well-Being — Information and resources focused on a child's health, development, and overall well-being.
● Family & Parenting — Tools and resources to help families navigate parenting and strengthen family relationships.

The Kinship Hub is part of DoHS' ongoing efforts to make services and resources easier for West Virginia families to understand and access.

For kinship and foster families, knowing where to begin can be one of the biggest challenges. The Kinship Hub provides a starting point, helping families identify areas where they may need support and discover available options.

The WV Kinship Hub is available at kinshiphub.bss.wv.gov.

08/30/2026

We are excited to welcome Pamela M. Kaehler, MBA, MSW, LGSW, to The Stories That Shape Us Annual Conference!

Pamela will present:

More Than a Story: Five Winning Ways to Find Your Voice for the Child in Your Care

Foster, kinship, and adoptive parents are told early and often that advocating for children is an important and necessary part of their role. So why does passionate advocacy so often fall flat, ruffle feathers, raise objections, or invite criticism?

This session will examine advocacy with candor, simplicity, and strategy. If you have ever felt intimidated or unheard, this session is for you.

Pamela currently leads medical social and support services at the WVU Medicine Children’s Heart Center of Excellence. Her professional experience includes serving as West Virginia’s inaugural Foster Care Ombudsman Director, a healthcare executive and consultant, an adjunct instructor at West Virginia University’s School of Social Work, a Child Protective Services worker, a social worker, and an Independent Review Organization for the U.S. Office of Inspector General. She is also a certified foster and adoptive parent and Treasurer of WV Fostering Together’s Board of Directors. Pamela and her husband have fostered twelve children and adopted ten.

Still need to register? Don’t wait! The last day to register is August 30!

Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/the-stories-that-shape-us-2

08/19/2026

08/08/2026

Governor Patrick Morrisey today announced $2,128,850.88 in Child Advocacy Center (CAC) Grant funding to support 22 projects serving children and families across West Virginia. The grants will strengthen the state's multidisciplinary response to child abuse and neglect by supporting advocacy, forensic interviews, medical evaluations, counseling, education, and other critical services for child victims.

"Protecting West Virginia's children is one of our most important responsibilities," said Governor Morrisey. "These grants ensure that children who have experienced abuse receive the care, advocacy, and support they need while helping law enforcement, prosecutors, medical professionals, and child advocates work together to pursue justice and protect our most vulnerable citizens."

The Child Advocacy Center Grant Program provides funding to local nonprofit child advocacy centers that assist child victims of abuse and neglect through a coordinated, child focused approach. The grants are administered by the Justice and Community Services Section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services.

Funds were awarded to the following Child Advocacy Center programs:

Burlington United Methodist Family Services, Inc. - $97,822.75
The funds will be used to provide intake, investigation, and follow up services for victims of child abuse, ages 3 to 17, in Mineral, Hampshire, and Hardy Counties.

Cabell Huntington Hospital - $96,580.20
The funds will be used to improve the work of the Child Advocacy Center at Hoops Family Children's Hospital.

CAMC Health Education & Research Institute - $125,754.94
The funds will be utilized to continue funding for the CAMC Women and Children's Child Advocacy Center, which provides forensic interviews, medical evaluations, advocacy, and therapy for children and families affected by abuse in Kanawha, Putnam, Jackson and Roane Counties.

Change Incorporated - $89,016.53
The funds will enable the Comfort House to work closely with law enforcement, prosecutors, social workers, child protective service workers, and healthcare and mental health providers to serve victims of child abuse and their families in Hancock and Brooke Counties.

Child & Youth Advocacy Center - $98,015.45
The funds will enable the program to provide forensic interviews, advocacy, and therapy to child victims of abuse and neglect while supporting a multidisciplinary approach to investigation, prosecution, treatment, and prevention in Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas Counties.

Child Protect of Mercer County, Inc. - $85,268.81
The funds will strengthen Mercer County's Child Advocacy Center by maintaining staff who provide direct services to child victims and their non offending family members.

Children's Home Society of West Virginia - $107,747.05
The funds will provide child focused and developmentally appropriate services, including forensic interviewing, mental health services, advocacy, and case coordination in Berkeley, Morgan and Jefferson Counties.

Cornerstone Family Interventions, Inc. - $86,463.19
The funds will deepen direct services for child victims requiring Child Advocacy Center services in Boone and Lincoln Counties.

Harmony House, Inc. - $91,521.69
The funds will ensure a comprehensive, child friendly, multidisciplinary response to allegations of child abuse using the Child Advocacy Center model servicing Ohio and Marshall Counties.

Harrison County Child Abuse Task Force - $127,103.87
The funds will ensure a comprehensive, child friendly, multidisciplinary response to allegations of child abuse using the Child Advocacy Center model servicing Harrison, Doddridge, Taylor and Barbour Counties.

Just for Kids, Inc. - $93,159.69
The funds will provide forensic interviewing, advocacy, counseling, and multidisciplinary team coordination for children and families affected by criminal child abuse in Raleigh and Fayette Counties.

Logan County Child Advocacy Center, Inc. - $88,631.12
The funds will provide a safe, child friendly location for investigating crimes against children in Logan and Mingo Counties while offering supportive services to victims.

Marion County Child Advocacy Center, Inc. - $81,318.36
The funds will provide forensic interviews, victim advocacy, case coordination, and community outreach for child victims of sexual and physical abuse in Marion County and North Central West Virginia.

Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center, Inc. - $83,245.41
The funds will provide forensic interviews, evaluations, advocacy, education, referrals, and therapy for child abuse victims in Monongalia County.

Mountain CAP of West Virginia, Inc. - $86,993.12
The funds will provide forensic interviewing, advocacy, education, trauma informed case management, therapy, and supportive services for abused children in Upshur and Lewis Counties.

Nicholas County Family Resource Network - $87,667.59
The funds will provide a child friendly environment for multidisciplinary investigations involving children who have experienced physical or sexual abuse in Nicholas and Webster Counties.

North Star Child Advocacy Center, Inc. - $134,031.22
The funds will provide a safe, neutral setting where law enforcement and child protective service workers can observe forensic interviews of children who are alleged victims of abuse in Wood, Wirt, Ritchie, Pleasants and Calhoun Counties.

Randolph Tucker Children's Advocacy Center, Inc. - $85,885.07
The funds will provide forensic interviews, medical services, mental health services, and advocacy for child victims and their non offending caregivers in Randolph and Tucker Counties.

REACHH Family Resource Center - $73,561.99
The funds will provide forensic interviewing, court accompaniment, medical accompaniment, counseling, advocacy, case management, and community education for children and families affected by abuse and neglect in Summers County.

Stop the Hurt, Inc. - $89,739.17
The funds will support a multidisciplinary approach to investigating child abuse and neglect while providing direct services to victims in McDowell and Wyoming Counties.

West Virginia Child Abuse Network, Inc. - $133,053.18
The funds will support programs that provide hope, healing, and justice for children affected by abuse while strengthening statewide responses to allegations of abuse throughout the State of West Virginia.

Wetzel County Commission - $86,270.48
The funds will help reduce the trauma of child abuse, protect children from maltreatment, support investigations, and strengthen the community's ability to protect children in Wetzel and Taylor Counties.

08/05/2026

Every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable and nurturing family.

That's why we're hosting the B~Hope Conference & Summit in partnership with the West Virginia First Foundation and the Family Centered Treatment Foundation September 15-18. This event will bring together West Virginia child welfare leaders, practitioners, researchers and community partners to exchange strategies, share innovative approaches and examine what's working to strengthen kinship care across the state.

Progress in child welfare depends on organizations learning from one another and building on proven practices. By hosting this conference, Pressley Ridge and our partners aren't just participating in that progress. We're helping lead it.

If you're committed to improving outcomes for children and families in West Virginia, now is the time to be part of the conversation.

Register today to connect with peers, gain actionable insights and help shape the future of kinship care in our state.
➡ https://www.pressleyridge.org/bhopeconference