KVC West Virginia is honored to be among the youth-serving agencies helping to implement the “Safe at Home West Virginia” program.

In partnership with the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), KVC provides comprehensive services to youth, ages 5 to 17, in 33 counties with behavioral health needs. Its aim is to maximize the benefits of home and community-based services for children in out-of-home care, in conjunction with providing behavioral and mental health services, in order to reduce the use of congregate and out-of-state care.

Historically, the state of West Virginia has had a high rate of children entering out-of-home care such as foster care each year; 8.6 per 1,000 children in the population, which is nearly three times the national entry rate of 3.3. The state also cares for 71 percent of youth ages 12-17 in congregate care which research shows to have negative developmental impacts. It is better for children to grow in the context of stable, loving families.

By providing wraparound services to children, KVC joins the state of West Virginia in its goal to help children living in congregate care settings to safely return to their home communities and ultimately to their own families.

See our program launch press release or read more about the state program here.

Referral Requirements

West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) must refer a family for these services. Referral requirements include:

• Between the ages of 5 – 17
• Must have an open Youth Services or CPS case
• Be at-risk for out-of-home placement

Goals of Safe at Home West Virginia

• Ensure youth remain in their own communities whenever safely possible.
• Reduce reliance on foster care/congregate care and prevent re-entries.
• Reduce the number of children in higher cost placements out-of-state.
• Step down youth in congregate care and/or reunify them with their families and home communities.

KVC’s Safe at Home Services

KVC utilizes the following services to increase resources and natural supports within the communities we serve.

• Therapists
• Youth Care Specialists
• Wraparound Facilitators
• Family Support Workers
• Evidence-based services and supports
• Trauma-informed assessments

Get Involved

Everyone can do something meaningful to help children and families who are involved in the child welfare system and Safe at Home West Virginia. The families we serve often experience poverty, substance abuse, mental/behavioral health challenges, or trauma such as abuse or neglect. Together we can rally around them and make sure that West Virginia children stay safe at home!

Can you offer your time by mentoring a teenager or volunteering to serve in some way? Can you donate money or goods? Could your church or business play a role? There are as many ways to get involved as there are people in our great state. Use our Contact Us form to let us know how you want to be involved.

The 10 wraparound principles of Safe at Home WV:

1. Family Voice and Choice
2. Team-Based
3. Natural Supports
4. Collaboration
5. Community-Based
6. Culturally-Competent
7. Individualized
8. Strengths-Based
9. Unconditional
10. Outcome-Based (article coming soon!)