FAMILY & CHILD
WELFARE LAW
Valerie L’Herrou, Esq.
T: (804) 782-9430 ext. 201 | F: (804) 649-0974 | E: [email protected]
Overview
At VPLC, we examine Virginia’s family and child welfare laws and policies and consider their impact on families and children. Our work with various stakeholder organizations, and our advocacy in the legislature, seeks to improve outcomes for those involved in these matters, while protecting essential rights.
Main Policy Issues
Foster Care and Adoption
Kinship Care
Child and spousal support laws
Divorce, custody, and visitation laws
Current Issue Advocacy
Maintaining familial connections for adopted children
Changes to the substance-affected infants statute
Supporting Kinship care
Streamlining the uncontested divorce process
Access to justice
Children’s Ombudsman
Improving the foster care system
Education, Outreach and other Resources
We provide trainings to Legal Aid and pro bono attorneys, lay advocates and members of the public on basic family law, including custody, visitation and support. We give seminars to youth who are aging out of foster care, and provide a variety of materials to help in transition among all family law-related issue areas.