Virginia OCO SFY 2025

In State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2025, which ended June 30, 2025, the Office of the Children's Ombudsman (OCO) in Virginia received 466 complaints regarding the conduct of local departments of social services.  While this number reflects formal complaints rather than a general sentiment of "unfairness," it is the primary metric for tracked dissatisfaction.

The Most Common Issues of Complaints Include
Staff Bias
Allegations that agency staff were biased against the complainant.

Improper Procedures
Specifically regarding child protective services (CPS) investigation protocols.

Inadequate Support
Providing inappropriate or insufficient services to families.

Improper Removals
Concerns regarding the removal of children from their homes. Lack of Responsiveness: Poor communication or lack of engagement from agency staff. 

Some Additional Data Points Regarding The Virginia CPS interactions SFY 2025 include:

Total Reports
There were 36,761 completed reports of child abuse or neglect, involving 53,343 children.

Pending Appeals
At the time of reporting, 193 founded investigations were pending an administrative appeal, which is the legal process for challenging a CPS determination.

Reach of Complaints
Complaints to the OCO involved 88 of Virginia's 120 local departments of social services.

For more detailed information on how to file a complaint or appeal a decision, you can visit the Virginia Office of the Children's Ombudsman or review the Virginia Department of Social Services Appeals Manual. 

Would you like to know more about the administrative appeal process or how to contact the Children's Ombudsman directly?

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