Children's Services Act (CSA)

If your child is under 18, or in some cases, under 22*, and has, or is at risk of having serious emotional or behavioral difficulties, you may be eligible to get help through the Virginia Children's Services Act (CSA) for At-Risk Youth and Families which provides assistance to children and their families in need of services from multiple agencies.

This webpage describes who qualifies to receive services, and how parents may be able to access services through the CSA program in Fluvanna County.

*Youths aged 22 and under who are eligible for special education and whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) requires education in a private school or residential placement are eligible for CSA services until the last day of the school year when they turn 22. 

The Children's Services Act (CSA)...

In 1992, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Comprehensive Services Act for At-Risk Youth & Families. Renamed the Children's Services Act in 2015, this act is intended to improve efforts to meet the needs of families with children and youth who have or who are at risk of having serious emotional or behavioral difficulties.

The goal of the CSA is to keep families together and to provide services within the community whenever possible. Through teams required by the CSA, state and local agencies are brought together to provide services that will:

• Preserve and strengthen families
• Identify needs and help families as early as possible
• Provide services in the least restrictive setting possible
• Create services to meet the specific needs of children and youth
• Increase the communication between families and county agencies
• Encourage public-private partnerships in serving families
• Provide more community control and flexibility in the use of funding