West Virginia's Family Support Centers (formerly Family Resource Centers or FRCs) are warm and welcoming places in the community where any family member with children up to age 18 or pregnant families can go, not only in times of need, but as a regular part of day-to-day life. FSCs employ the Mobility Mentoring model, an approach also utilized by WV WORKS, which empowers families to set and achieve personal goals through motivational interviewing and practical support. Programs and services offered by FSCs are designed to build protective factors such as parental knowledge, resilience, social connections, and emotional competence, while providing concrete support during times of need.Family Support Centers (FSC) offer parent education classes, child development activities, parent-to-parent support groups, after school and academic enrichment, General Educational Development (GED) and literacy instruction, health information, and referrals to programs, activities and services in the community. Each FSC's specific services are designed in accordance with the needs of the community. FSC services are voluntary and available to all interested families.
FSC services are not restricted to at-risk families, but offered to any family in a community who would benefit from the services and programs available. Currently, 54 counties are covered by 57 FSCs.
Click here for a map of FSCs in your county and here for the 2023/2024 West Virginia FSC Directory.
CarePortal Pilot Program
The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) is advancing its commitment to strategic long term family preservation and child welfare prevention by launching a new CarePortal pilot program and strengthening partnerships and investment in FSCs across the state. CarePortal, a dynamic tool for family support, is designed to help prevent biological families from entering the child welfare system by meeting their essential needs. The system connects families to local faith-based organizations through a secure platform, allowing FSC staff, social workers and other child and family-serving professionals to post urgent requests for material supports that can prevent child welfare involvement – such as the need for furniture, appliances, or clothing – to be fulfilled by volunteer groups within the community. This initiative is being piloted in Preston and Monongalia counties through a collaboration with Chestnut Mountain Village, a program of Chestnut Mountain Ranch.
Additional Family Resources
To find a list of available social services in your county, visit http://wvfrn.org/counties/ and click on your county. Family Resource Network community resource guides are available at each county link.
To learn more about early childhood home visitation programs please visit the In Home Family Education Programs website at http://www.inhomefamilyed.com/.