SHARING OUR EXPERTISE

On April 11^th, for the second year in a row, Plummer Home presented to national experts on our work to connect teens in group care with permanent families.  Last year we presented our clinical model; this year we shared our experience shifting from traditional group-home services to group-home services focused on finding permanent families.  The presentation took place at the annual conference of the American Association of Children's Residential Centers. http://www.aacrc-dc.org/annualmeeting

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FINDING FAMILIES FOR GIRLS AND BOYS; EXPANDING TO LOWELL

Teenagers without families are in trouble. Often these teens live in group homes or foster homes. Most of them have experienced trauma beyond what most of us can imagine. Some have moved so many times they can't remember the places they’ve lived, or the people they’ve lived with.

Read MoreIf these teens don’t find families before they leave state care, there is a good chance they will end up homeless or unemployed. The girls are likely to get pregnant at least once before they turn 24.  The boys are likely to become parents.  http://www.chapinhall.org/research/report/midwest-evaluation-adult-functioning-former-foster-youth

Last year we started piloting work to connect our group-home teens with permanent families.  We convened national experts to help us design a plan and begin testing cases.  Less than a year into the initial work we realized that we had to find a way to offer this work to more teens – and in particular to older boys and girls in foster care.

In December we opened a foster care program in Lowell, MA, to serve boys and girls from Massachusetts. Like our group home, our foster care practice prioritizes getting youth back to a permanent family. Our clinical approach is based on the successful Lifelong Families model developed by Casey Family Services and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. www.aecf.org/lifelongfamilies