Join us virtually to learn more about our STRIVE START program

Ari Lopez, Family Partner for Children's Friend and Family Services, a Division of JRI, rides his bike approximately 26 miles per day to connect with children and families.

“As a family partner, I don’t have all the answers, but I believe in the power of trying to figure things out together,” he says.

“Nobody needs to be perfect, we just need to work with what we have and that is more than enough to produce a positive change.”

Read the full article on page 15:

Helping the healer when their work unearths old symptoms of trauma

Adam Edwards cares about the caregivers.

As Justice Resource Institute’s Training and Instructional Design Specialist, he supports JRI staff as they care for some of the over 10,000 children and adults who are clients of the more than 120 programs JRI operates in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Bob Costa knows there are people he can call, day or night, when a child is in trouble.

It’s easy to find Caroline Dunlap and the Harm Reduction team at JRI’s Program RISE. They’re the ones wearing backpacks while meeting people in downtown Framingham, dispensing care and concern, along with vital supplies, to the region’s active drug users.

For a child who has suffered long-term trauma from abuse or neglect, the world doesn’t feel like a safe place. And children who suffer from such complex trauma often face challenges when it comes to forming relationships with others, acting out with anger or suffering silently from depression.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Bristol County, which has helped more than 7,000 children who have suffered sexual abuse or neglect since its founding in 2007, is under new leadership.

The CAC, a program operated by Justice Resource Institute and which receives more than 700 referrals annually, is being led by co-directors Cathy Rutkowski and Lara Stone.

Children's Friend and Family Services has been dropping off "activity boxes" every week to about 40 homes in Essex County as part of a new program called Discovery Within. The boxes are filled with items designed to encourage activities such as drawing, writing, gardening and baking by the children, who range in age from 9 to 18 and are enrolled with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.

Episode 4 - Please note, this podcast was recorded in February 2020

Most would agree that we live in a sex-saturated culture. So why do we find it so hard to talk about sex?

Deborah Jackson, Clinical Training and Developmental Specialist for JRI, trains clinicians and staff to handle sexualized behavior that young clients are exhibiting (or thinking about exhibiting).

As the current pandemic continues, medical centers are reporting a significant increase in suicide attempts.  Check out this op-ed in the Cape Cod Times by Tara Sagor and Erica Krist.