A Focus on Foster Parents
There has been a lot of coverage about the shortage of foster homes in Massachusetts, and the placement crisis this causes. Our agency sees the fallout of this shortage every day: “The need is huge, staggering,” says Sarah Medrano-Palmer, Director of Family Services. “It’s overwhelming to know how many kids aren’t getting served on any given day.”
In a given month, we receive 150 referrals from the Department of Children and Families for children who need foster care placement. Those are referrals that are going out to agencies statewide. Of the over 1000 referrals we received last year, we were able to place 9 youth.
“We need foster parents all the time,” says Sarah. Her program is tailoring their services to help foster families feel more supported and invested in the process:
The process to become a foster parent can be lengthy. Our staff are available to guide you and answer questions that come up. We use systems like Binti, an online portal for foster families, to keep the extensive paperwork organized and easily accessible for families.
We create a strong sense of community for our foster parents. We welcome all incoming foster families in our newsletters, host a foster parent support group, and ensure that our foster parents have peers they can reach out to
We host regular social events for foster families to connect and relax, including our annual Foster Parent Appreciation Brunch; Parents’ Nights Out; movie nights; tailgating events; and more!
To learn about becoming a foster parent with Bridges Homeward, get in touch with us today! Email familyservices@bridgeshomeward.org or call us at 617-876-4210.
The impact foster parents make on the lives of not only the youth the care for, but the biological families of those youth, is absolutely huge. Every day, foster parents get to see the effects of their work and support with youth play out in very real ways, from making kids feel safer in their homes to helping them reunify with their families.
June, the month this post is published, is known as National Reunification Month. Our foster parents have always played a huge role in reunifying the youth they care for with their biological families. The foster families we work with are very skilled at reunification, acknowledging the loss and celebrating the accomplishment of getting a family reunified. Supporting reunification is another very tangible way foster families see the impact they make.
In our video about one of our longtime foster parents Ms. Kerry, she tells some sweet stories about two boys in her care. After four years in Ms. Kerry’s foster home, those boys would go on to reunify with their biological father. “I never in my wildest dreams thought that was going to happen, but it did,” says Sarah. “It’s so gratifying for Ms. Kerry to know that those boys are with family, and they’re going to grow up with family.”
If you want to make a difference for youth in foster care, consider becoming a foster parent with Bridges Homeward. Email familyservices@bridgeshomeward.org or call us at 617-876-4210 to get in touch today.