Edwin came to us as a non-U.S. citizen from Honduras in Spring 2018. He did not speak English, and was very anxious to re-acclimate to a new environment of different culture, norms and language. For quite some time, he refused to accept these new norms because he feared he would forget where he came from. He did not tell others when he needed things or if he felt sick- even in his native language. He did not want to attend school and claimed he only came to America to “work and send money home.”

May is mental health awareness month, a good time to take stock of our children’s well-being, and also to reflect on what we can do better to help them adapt to challenges they may be experiencing.

Read the full op-ed, written by Tara Sagor, Director of Training and Trauma Response for JRI.

When Alicia’s father, who lived several states away, learned that he had a 7-year-old daughter in a group home, he was immediately interested in bringing her home to live with him, but did not realize that Alicia’s DCF custody would create a great deal of legal and logistical challenges. The clinical staff at Little Heroes Home recognized the potential significance of this permanency relationship, and pushed hard to support regular passes on the weekends that Dad was able to fly up, as well as advocating that DCF appeal an initial denial of the inter-state compact.

(Names and identifying details have been removed to protect the identity of the client.)

Bob Costa, the Program Director for JRI's Intensive Foster Care and Adoption Program wrote this op-ed about the state's most wounded children and the need for homes.

Read the full article.

Jay has been at Littleton Academy since August 2017, and was one of our first clients at the new program. At the outset of his stay, he was identified as needing a forever family. As many of our clients, Jay has experienced significant developmental trauma that has greatly impacted his day-to-day functioning. This was very apparent when he first came to us, and presented with numerous externalized behaviors because of the challenges he endured. Jay has been resilient in the face of his trauma, and has overcome challenges and made significant progress during his time here.

Justice Resource Institute’s Foster Care Program honored its foster parents May 3 with a reception at the program’s Berkley headquarters.

Omer Thibault IV is a musician, a mechanical technician and, at age 20, a single dad.

Age 19 when his son was born, Thibault had not yet earned his diploma from Swansea High School and was uncertain of his prospects. He was certain on one thing, however. He wanted to be a great dad to his infant son, whose teen mother was unable to care for him.

Michelle Loranger, Executive Director of the Children's Advocacy Center of Bristol County, a program of JRI, recently wrote an Op Ed for National Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Read the article.

JRI is proud to be part of the Massachusetts Permanency Practice Alliance. 

Permanency is the thought that there should be a specific goal -- like adoption or family reunification -- and a plan to reach it for every child placed into foster care “to ensure they have a loving, supportive adult to guide them through childhood,” according to the Massachusetts Permanency Practice Alliance.

Read the full article.