Chance and Zach, From Foster Care To Adoption

In 2021, brothers Chance (age 6) and Zach (age 8) moved into Manuel and Penny’s Bridges Homeward foster home. Chance and Zach had experienced neglect and trauma in their young lives, and they had moved multiple times within the foster care system. Because of their unstable histories, they had special needs, including emotional, behavioral, and learning needs. Additionally, Zach and Chance had been separated from their older sister, Lily, who was in a foster home about an hour away.

Bridges Homeward identified Manuel and Penny as a good foster home for Zach and Chance. They were warm and welcoming to Chance, Zach, and their sister, and they were strong advocates for the boys’ educational needs. With the care and determination of Manuel, Penny, and the Bridges Homeward Comprehensive Foster Care team, Chance and Zach stabilized while their permanency planning efforts continued.

In line with the Department of Children and Families’ goal of adoption for the boys, a search began to identify an adoptive family. After many meetings with our team, the Peters family committed to adopt Chance and Zach. Before the start of the school year in the fall of 2023, Chance and Zach moved into their permanent home. The continuing work focused on maintaining the brothers’ connection with their sister and other biological family members. After getting to know her brothers’ adoptive parents, the boys’ sister told the adoptive father that she was relieved to see how loved and well cared for her brothers were in their new home.

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