What’s New
at Bridges Homeward
Changes and challenges in child welfare practice
Before she was the Director of the Office of the Child Advocate for Massachusetts, Maria Mossaides served as Executive Director of our very agency from 2008 to 2015. For our 150th anniversary, we are honored to have her share her reflections on some of the biggest shifts in child welfare practice throughout her career.
Adopt or Foster with Bridges Homeward This Fall!
Are you ready to offer a safe, nurturing, loving home to a youth in foster care? Then you should apply to join our upcoming Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP) training series, starting this September! MAPP training is a required training course for all adoptive and foster parents.
A Focus on Foster Parents
In a given month, we receive 150 referrals from the Department of Children and Families for children who need foster care placement. Of the over 1000 referrals we received last year, we were able to place 9 youth. You can make a difference for these youth by becoming a foster parent with Bridges Homeward.
Reunifying Kyle with His Mother
June is National Reunification Month. Reunifying youth in foster care with their biological parents is an essential part of our work. Reunification sounds amazing, but what does it look like? The story of Kyle reunifying with his mom exemplifies some of the complications we see many families experience on their way to permanency.
Building Bridges, Building Families
Helping foster and adoptive parents to build their families is a huge honor for our agency. And one of the areas we work with foster and adoptive parents the most on is preparing them for caring for a child from a different racial or ethnic background.
Our Impact on Foster and Adoptive Families
Our Family Services program works with anyone who wants to become a foster or adoptive parent, from biological family members of children in foster care to folks with no personal connection to the child welfare system who just want to support youth. Our approach is efficient, inclusive, and totally supportive of our parents’ needs!
Alicia Wilson Wins the 2024 Vivienne Campbell Foster Parent of the Year Award
Alicia’s dedication to the youth in her care is extraordinary. Recently, she changed a young man’s life by committing to serve as his permanent foster home. Congratulations, Alicia!
Alivia’s Adoption Story
We’re excited to share this transcript of adoptive parents Cecilia and Brendan’s speech from our 150th Anniversary Celebration!
Adopt or Foster with Bridges Homeward This Spring!
Are you ready to offer a safe, nurturing, loving home to a youth in foster care? Then you should apply to join our upcoming Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP) training series, starting this April! MAPP training is a required training course for all adoptive and foster parents.
Foster or Adopt with Bridges Homeward This Year!
Are you ready to offer a safe, nurturing, loving home to a youth in foster care? Then you should apply to join our upcoming Foster and Adoptive Parent training series, starting this February!
Bridges Homeward Partners with New England Patriots Foundation to Fight Foster Care Crisis
We are so excited to be a part of the New England Patriots Foundation’s Foster Care Initiative! Today we’re celebrating some of the great things that are happening thanks to this partnership.
Marissa Lacelle Earns Licensure as Clinical Social Worker
Marissa supports our foster parents as they provide the best possible care for youth in intensive foster care. Today we recognize her accomplishments.
Foster or Adopt with Bridges Homeward This Fall!
Are you ready to offer a safe, nurturing, loving home to a youth in foster care? Then you should apply to join our upcoming Foster and Adoptive Parent training series this fall!
Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth in Foster Care this Pride Month
Did you know that one of the best ways you can support LGBTQ+ youth is by becoming a foster parent? If you’re interested in learning more about how you can make a real difference for LGBTQ+ youth, join us on Zoom on Thursday, June 15 for a virtual informational session about foster care!
How Do We Care for Youth of Color in Foster Care?
Children and teens of color are overrepresented in the child welfare and foster care systems. Acknowledging that we all see each other’s skin color, and that race matters, is a difficult and sensitive process. But it’s so important for foster parents to affirm and celebrate youth’s racial identities, along with every other part of who that youth is.
Our 2022 Impact Report is Here!
This year’s Impact Report is full of stories about the amazing growth and resilience of our youth and families over the past year.
An Adoptive Family’s Unique Path to Permanency
For the first months of their relationship, Amy and Josh only knew their future adopted daughter Laura over Zoom. Read more to find out how (as Amy and Josh like to say) Laura ended up adopting them in October 2021!
Reuniting Youth With Their Families
We are pleased to announce that, thanks to the work of our Intensive Foster Care and Family Stabilization staff and our amazing foster parents, six youth are reunifying with their parents!