Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) is pleased to announce that Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) will be joining the NVFS family to provide an even greater range of social services in Northern Virginia for families and individuals. By adding the services that SCAN brings to the table, NVFS will be able to strengthen its ability to help more people get the life-changing assistance they need in a more timely and efficient manner.
Building Synergy
Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024, Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) has offered a broad array of services and support to provide people, at every stage in their lives, with the tools they need to maximize their potential and to thrive. Each year, NVFS empowers more than 40,000 individuals to achieve their goals by providing the essential building blocks for financial, emotional, and physical well-being, serving as leaders and innovators in Northern Virginia. Their programs include Early Childhood Development, Healthy Families, Health and Well-Being, Homelessness and Housing, Immigration Legal Services, Multicultural Center, Workforce Development, and Youth Initiatives.
Established in 1988 and formerly based in Alexandria, Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) was Northern Virginia’s only nonprofit organization exclusively focused on preventing child abuse. With more than 36 years of experience, SCAN has remained dedicated to advocacy and support for at-risk children and families, bringing a unique survivor-led perspective to the work they do. SCAN strove to create a safe and nurturing environment for young people across the region. In addition to their efforts to prevent child abuse, they empowered families through a multifaceted approach that strengthens child protection efforts in Northern Virginia.
Through this integration, NVFS is expanding its range of services by incorporating SCAN’s programs and expertise. This strategic move enhances NVFS’s ability to support residents of Northern Virginia in need of social services. Operating under the NVFS name, our combined organization works to broaden its impact, ensuring even more comprehensive support for the community.
Helping Children And Families
In addition to their initiatives to stop child abuse, SCAN also brought their Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) services and family programs to fortify the programs currently being offered by NVFS. In the more than 36 years that SCAN has been in existence, their CASA program has onboarded 455 volunteers, served 1,679 children, and logged nearly 84,000 hours of service.
CASA volunteers advocate for children who have been abused or neglected and ensure those children do not get lost in the overburdened court system. These advocates are appointed by judges to meet with the children and everyone else in the child’s life to make recommendations on what will best serve the child. They also continue to communicate with judges to inform them what best serves each child’s needs and wants.
For children assigned a Court Appointed Special Advocate, the benefits are many. In addition to having someone show support of their efforts, children with CASAs are:
- Less likely to be moved from placement to placement
- More likely to be adopted
- More likely to do well in school
- More likely to have a plan for permanency
- Half as likely to re-enter foster care.
A Mutually Beneficial Partnership
Stephanie Berkowitz, president and CEO of NFVS is excited about the prospect of providing additional services to the people of Northern Virginia.
“SCAN has an enduring reputation for its dedicated, compassionate service, and we are proud to join forces to deepen the impact of services for families in our region,” she recently said in a press release. “With the addition of SCAN’s child abuse prevention services, NVFS expands upon its wealth of experience in child welfare to provide comprehensive support for children and youths. We are honored to support the dedication of CASA volunteers who advocate for children in Arlington and Alexandria every day and build on SCAN’s legacy and critical work.”
SCAN founder David (Dave) J. Cleary is also enthusiastic about the two agencies merging.
“For more than 36 years, SCAN has dedicated itself to making Northern Virginia a safer place for children,” he also stated in a press release. “As a survivor-led organization, SCAN places each child’s wellbeing at the center of its work and believes in the fundamental human rights of all children to be safe, respected, and supported. NVFS has been a valued partner in our community, and I am excited to see SCAN’s mission continue through this merger.”
The coming together of NVFS and SCAN has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both organizations. Amy Wilker, who previously served as the CEO of SCAN, is now NVFS’ Director of Child and Family Wellbeing Services as SCAN employees become part of the NVFS team.
“Supporting families is core to the missions of both NVFS and SCAN,” said Kevin W. Weigand, the previous president of the SCAN board of directors. “With NVFS’s extensive history and infrastructure in Northern Virginia, this merger allows SCAN’s advocacy efforts to reach more children and families than ever before. The combined entity has an extraordinary opportunity to enhance our impact.”
