Parents need permanency, too.

Start your adoption or foster care journey today!

The Family Services program.

Adoptive and foster parents are ordinary people who choose to do something extraordinary. For over 150 years, we have watched individuals just like you make the decision to become parents, and as a result, completely transform the life of a child or a teen. By creating a safe, loving, and therapeutic home and helping children heal from difficult experiences, you are fostering permanency. At Bridges Homeward, we help parents build an environment where children feel welcome, supported, and good about themselves.

If you would like to schedule a consultation about adopting or fostering a youth in foster care, email our Family Services team at familyservices@bridgeshomeward.org or call us at 617-876-4210.

We have a team ready and waiting to help.

Apply to become a foster or adoptive parent

Our Bridges Homeward Family Services program is dedicated to supporting adoptive and foster parents, making sure the entire process goes as smoothly as possible.

We understand the complexities and challenges involved in the adoption and foster care process.
We support those youth who face the greatest challenges to permanency including older children and teens, sibling groups, and children with significant medical, developmental, emotional, or behavioral needs.
We provide prospective parents with the physical and emotional resources they need to better care for their adoptive or foster children without becoming overwhelmed.

A young girl hugs her adopted sister. — **Our Family Services Program provides specialized, round-the-clock care, support, and guidance including:**

Specialized training, including MAPP training, for parents considering adoption or foster care.
Supportive services in your home.
Guidance during the adoption matching process.
Ongoing support after a child or sibling group is placed.
Walking parents through all the paperwork associated with becoming an adoptive or foster care parent and helping make sure it’s completed properly.
Helping families navigate the often complex relationships children have with birth families.
Training, education, resources, tools and support in a range of areas that often impact children and youth involved in the foster care system, including trauma, grief, and attachment.

A daughter and father sitting together and high-fiving. — **We welcome applicants of any background, at any stage in their lives.**

Many people wait for the “right time” in their lives to adopt or become foster parents; when they are married, when they own a home… when their children grow up. Here, we recognize that all kinds of families can provide loving, stable homes. For that reason, we welcome and celebrate parents and families from all different cultures, experiences, and identities.

Family Stories

Bridges Homeward was fantastic to work with throughout our adoption process – knowledgeable, responsive, and incredibly supportive. We would recommend them to anyone considering adoption.

Bridges Homeward Client

The 10 Steps to Adoption

To begin the adoption process, all prospective parents must complete a Family Resource Application. The application is designed to protect all the children and families involved, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it gives us permission to conduct a criminal record check, as well as a review of any prior involvement you may have had with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF).
Next, a social worker will schedule a meeting with you at your home to make sure that your home will provide a safe physical environment for an adopted child. In addition, the social worker will go over the adoption process with you and answer any questions you may have.
All prospective adoptive parents are required to complete a 30-hour training program called Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP). It is designed to teach you about why and how children enter the foster care system, what adoption may mean for you and your family, and what kind of issues and challenges you may be able to help an adopted child overcome. The purpose of MAPP Training is to help you make the best decision that you can about whether adoption is right for you.
Homestudies help you identify your strengths and needs as a prospective parent. Homestudies help you determine whether adopting a child with complex needs is right for you and your family. It is an opportunity to speak with your social worker about your thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams for adoption.
When it’s time to begin your Homestudy process, your social worker will meet with everyone in your household. Prospective parents will be asked to share information about their life experiences, and to consider how those might shape their role as adoptive parents. Your social worker may also wish to speak with any children in the home as to how they feel about having a new child join the family.
You will also be asked to provide personal, medical, employment, and educational references for any school-aged children in your family. Once your social worker has gathered all the necessary information, a written adoption Homestudy will be completed. You will receive a final copy of your Homestudy.
Once your Homestudy has been approved, you will be eligible to be matched with a waiting child. There are many ways to learn about children in need of adoptive families:
• The Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange offers a photo listing of waiting children. It is available online at https://www.mareinc.org/waiting-child-profiles#gallery and your local library.
• News outlets including WBZ’s “Wednesday’s Child” segment and The Boston Globe’s “Sunday’s Child” feature waiting children.
• You may attend adoption parties and other events designed to facilitate matches. We will notify you about any matching event opportunities. The Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange also has more information about adoption parties and matching events on their website.
• Your social worker will also attend matching meetings and network with other adoption professionals to discuss the skills and qualities you have to offer a waiting child.
When you are ready to move forward with a child, your social worker will gather their information for you and facilitate further discussions with the child’s social worker about the possibility of a match. Then, the child’s social worker will review your Homestudy. If you and the child’s social worker believe the match might be a positive one, you will move into the disclosure process.
We are required by law to provide prospective adoptive parents with all the information we have about the child to be adopted so that you may make an informed decision about your ability to provide a permanent home for them. You will be invited to attend a disclosure meeting where the child’s social worker will present you with the child’s history, current needs, and anticipated needs. You should receive copies of their birth and medical records and be provided with any developmental, psychological, and educational records available. You should also receive the names and contact information of adults who know the child, including foster parents, teachers, doctors, and therapists. You are encouraged to speak with those adults to gather as much information as possible about the child you wish to adopt.
Your Bridges Homeward social worker will attend the disclosure meeting with you to ensure that you receive and understand all the information to which you are entitled. In most cases, you will not meet the child during the disclosure process, as social workers work hard to protect children from the possible hurt and rejection that could occur if you were to decide not to move forward with the adoption. If both you and the child’s social worker agree that your family is the best match for the child, you will begin the process of transitioning the child into your home.
Children transition into their adoptive homes gradually. Every transition is different; some take a few weeks, and some take a few months. The length of the transition depends on the age and needs of the child or children. You will be asked to create a “welcome book,” full of photos of your family, home, and community. Your child’s social worker will use to introduce you to the child. Typically, you will meet your child in his or her current foster home, where he or she feels safe and comfortable.
Following the introductory meeting, you may visit in your child’s community for a few hours, first with people the child knows and trusts, then on your own. Once your child feels comfortable with you, you may bring your child into your home for a few hours.
Visits will take place at your home, and will gradually increase in frequency and duration, from one overnight, to a weekend, and perhaps to an extended visit of several days. During the transition process, your child’s social worker will be in frequent contact with you to make sure that everyone is receiving the support and guidance they need during this period of getting to know one another.
“Post-placement” refers to the period of time after your child has joined your family, but before the adoption is legalized in court. After your child moves into your home, you will begin the process of becoming a family together. Throughout this time, your child’s social worker will visit with you and the child in your home at least once per month to help everyone through the adjustment and to provide any support your child and family may need. The post-placement period will last a minimum of six months, as required by law, but may last longer, depending on both the child’s legal status and the needs of your family.
Before your child’s adoption may be finalized, he or she must be legally available for adoption and have resided in your home for at least six months. Once you and your child’s social worker are ready to legalize the adoption, your social worker will apply to the Department of Children and Families for an adoption subsidy for your child. This subsidy is based on your child’s needs, not on your family’s income. While the subsidy application is being reviewed, your child’s social worker will be gathering documents to submit to the court for the adoption. You will be asked to provide birth certificates and marriage and/or divorce certificates (if applicable), and to sign two forms, the “Petition for Adoption of Minor” and the “Affidavit of Petitioner for Adoption,” which your child’s social worker will review with you. Some forms require the signature and seal of a Notary Public.
Once your child’s social worker has gathered all the necessary paperwork, a packet of documents will be submitted to the court. After a court clerk reviews all the information carefully and ensures that everything is in order, a date for the adoption will be scheduled. The length of time required to schedule an adoption varies greatly from court to court; it may range from a few weeks to a few months.
On the day of your child’s adoption, you and your family will travel to the court to meet with the judge, who will sign the adoption decree in your presence. Your child’s social worker will be present as well. Judges enjoy the adoption legalization process greatly and usually talk very informally with parents and children. Family and friends are encouraged to join you in court, and all are welcome to take photos of this exciting event!
Once your child’s adoption has been legalized, you will be their legal parent(s) – solely responsible for your child’s well being. Your child’s social worker will ensure that any adoption subsidy payments begin and will provide you with information about post-adoption support services that are available in your community. Your family’s case at Bridges Homeward will formally be closed, but informally open for much longer. We strive to help families in any way possible, and we re-main available to provide any support, guidance, and/or information whenever you wish. Families are encouraged to contact us at any time.

Common Questions About
Adoption & Foster Care

The length of time needed to complete the adoption process varies a great deal. For most families, the time from submitting an application to completing the Homestudy and being formally approved to adopt is between six and nine months. Once approved, the process of being “matched” with a child can take anywhere from weeks to a few years, depending on the type of child the family hopes to parent. Families hoping to adopt young, healthy children under the age of five (5) may wait years. Families interested in adopting an older child or teen, a sibling group, or a child with special needs are often matched more quickly.
While infants and very young children do enter the foster care system, most often these children are reunified with their birth families. Those who cannot be reunified with their birth families are often adopted by their foster families. Very few infants and toddlers will be matched with other adoptive families. At the same time, many prospective adoptive parents hope to adopt a very young child. The number of available babies and toddlers is very small, while the number of families hoping to be matched with those children is very large. While infants and toddlers are occasionally placed with adoptive families, this is the exception. Furthermore, young children are typically not legally available for adoption and their placement comes with a high degree of legal uncertainty, or “legal risk.”
There are no fees associated with any part of the adoption process.
While prospective adoptive parents are not required to retain an attorney, and most do not, you may choose to hire an attorney at any point in the adoption process.
Bridges Homeward is a private, not-for-profit community-based agency that receives referrals and funding from Massachusetts’ public child welfare agency, known as the Department of Children and Families. Because Bridges Homeward is under contract with DCF, our agency must adhere to the same regulations and policies as DCF. The process of adopting through foster care is the same, regardless of which agency you choose. The application process, MAPP Training, Homestudy requirements, and pool of children available for adoption are the same. Neither DCF nor Bridges Homeward charges any fees at any point in the adoption process.
Prospective adoptive parents will be invited to attend MAPP Training. In order to receive an invitation, prospective parents must complete an application and submit it to Bridges Homeward. Upon receiving the application, we will conduct Background Record Checks to review the applicants’ history of any criminal charges and/or allegations of child abuse or neglect. If the results of this review are satisfactory, we will schedule a visit to your home to ensure that it meets the physical safety requirements of our agency. If both your Background Record Check and your home are in compliance with our requirements, you will be invited to attend MAPP Training.
Both members of a couple are required to attend all sessions of MAPP training. We strongly encourage couples to attend training at the same time so that they are able to discuss the information presented together.
While our MAPP training is designed for those who have applied directly to Bridges Homeward we do occasionally have extra room in the training and are happy to welcome applicants from other agencies. If you have applied to another agency but wish to enroll in the MAPP training offered by Bridges Homeward, please contact your social worker so that they may make a referral.
We do not. Our adoption program works exclusively with children in foster care and with families who wish to adopt those children.
Many people wait for the “right time” in their lives to adopt or become foster parents; when they are married, when they own a home… when their children grow up. Here, we recognize that all kinds of families can provide loving, stable homes. For that reason, we welcome and celebrate parents and families from all different cultures, experiences, and identities. Both renters and homeowners are eligible to foster, and we do not have a minimum income requirement. Please note that families are required to have a stable source of income that will adequately provide for a child.

Bridges Homeward is constantly recruiting new families to serve the youth in foster care. In order to qualify for eligibility, you:
• Are age 25 or older
• Have physical space for a child
• Are physically and emotionally able to care for a child with challenging behaviors
• Are available to meet with the child’s CFCS social worker weekly in your home during business hours
• Are able to be a supportive member of the child’s team, including advocating for a child’s needs, attending school meetings and attending quarterly treatment meetings
• Complete a thorough background check including review of criminal history, DCF history and fingerprinting
The Department of Children and Families has a contract with Bridges Homeward to recruit foster homes and provide case management services to the children placed in those homes. That means the foster home is an independent contractor with Bridges Homeward and is supported by Bridges Homeward staff. A Bridges Homeward social worker and family resource coordinator collaborate with DCF to provide treatment for the children. At Bridges Homeward, we provide parents with more supports due to the higher level of needs of the children placed in Intensive Foster Care.
Our program uses a team approach to providing individualized support and attention to our foster parents.
• Family Resource Coordinator
Each family is assigned a Family Resource Coordinator who is familiar with your home, your family, and your needs. They will meet with you in your home every month, at least once, and will collaborate with you to ensure you and your home are in compliance with all state guidelines for foster parents. If you need more support you can reach out to this person any time.
• IFC Social Worker
Each youth has a Bridges Homeward social worker assigned to them. They provide thorough case management and support, visit you and the youth in your home each week, help assess the youth’s needs, and identify appropriate services. They also coordinate appointments/services and are available to provide additional support and guidance. The social worker will come to your home 48 hours after a youth is placed to meet you.
• Trainings
Foster parents are required to complete 20 hours of training per year. These trainings ensure that foster parents continue to learn, develop new skills, and are kept up to date on relevant topics related to providing care for a foster youth. Bridges Homeward offers a number of trainings and will connect you to more training opportunities in your community.
• Our Problem-Solving Group
Foster parents gather regularly in the community and at the office to share ideas and receive support and guidance.
• Activities
The IFC staff frequently schedules free activities for families and children. These are a great opportunity to build stronger relationships with other foster parents and for youth in foster care to build a community.
• Respite
In the event of an emergency or when it is necessary to take a break, Bridges Homeward will arrange for the youth in your care to be placed in another foster home temporarily.
• 24/7 Support
Our emergency on-call system is available 24/7 to foster parents.
Foster parents welcome children into their home and provide them with safety, stability, and support. Foster parents are expected to be the primary caretaker for the child, including taking them to appointments, enrolling them in activities, helping them to develop improved social and independent living skills, and providing a therapeutic environment to promote healthy growth and development. Foster parents work very closely with their Bridges Homeward team to ensure that all of a child’s physical, emotional, and educational needs are met.
Children in the child welfare system range in age from under 1 year to 22 years old. They come from a variety of ethnic, racial, religious and linguistic backgrounds.
The average length of placement is approximately one year. However, this can vary and be a shorter or longer term depending on each child’s specific situation.
Foster parents are independent contractors and receive a tax-free reimbursement of $59.39/day from Bridges Homeward.
Foster children receive additional benefits, including health/dental insurance through MassHealth, a quarterly clothing allowance ranging from $185.00 to $282.00 (depending on the age of the foster child), and birthday and holiday money. Foster children are entitled to participate in the free school lunch program. Foster parents of children ages 5 and under are also eligible for WIC benefits.
Yes. Reunification with biological parents is the most common outcome for children and youth in foster care. Bridges Homeward works hard to support reunification plans whenever possible. An important part of every reunification plan is visitation with birth family. Here at Bridges Homeward, we understand that being involved with biological parents is new to most foster parents. Bridges Homeward staff and DCF will support you and your foster youth to ensure that visitation is safe for all involved.
When DCF determines that a child cannot safely return to their biological family, other options are explored. These include looking for extended family members who may be able to care for the child, identifying an adoptive family, identifying a caring adult who will make a long-term commitment through guardianship, or helping the child to develop skills to live on their own.