Our History

Children’s Home Society of Virginia (CHS) is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3), licensed child-placing agency. Since our charter by the Virginia General Assembly on January 30, 1900, CHS has served over 17,000 Virginia children, youth, and families.

CHS began as an orphanage and placement agency for underprivileged children. Throughout the years our mission has evolved with the changing needs of society. CHS’s mission today is to find permanent adoptive homes for children of all ages throughout the Commonwealth, and to provide critical support services to adoptive families, adoptees and youth who have aged out of foster care.

Our full spectrum of programs and services includes working with the departments of Social Services to find permanent homes for children in Virginia available for adoption and providing impactful ongoing post-permanency support after adoptions have been finalized. CHS is proud to be one of only three Virginia recruiters for Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – a national nonprofit finding forever families for children in foster care. Building on more than a century of adoption work, CHS continues to offer comprehensive private adoption services, supporting families through every stage of their journey to parenthood.

In 2016, recognizing the urgent need to support youth aging out of foster care, CHS created My Path Forward (MPF). The program offers housing, life skills training, counseling, and case management to young adults ages 17–25 — empowering them to gain independence and thrive as adults.

Through our Advocacy program, CHS partners with legislators and state leaders to strengthen policies and practices that improve outcomes for children, youth, and families across Virginia’s foster care and social services systems.