Kinship Support Program
When it becomes necessary for a child to be placed into foster care, our caring staff are committed to helping the whole family heal and thrive.
Our Kinship Support program is designed to support families in which a child has been placed with a family member to help ensure a successful placement. Kinship Support services can also be used in other unique situations where the child and foster family require intensive supports.
Our Kinship Support program provides a continuum of family-centered supports tailored to each family’s unique needs, including:
- Support developing a positive, trusting relationship between the child and their kinship foster parents
- Skill development to help the kinship family understand the unique needs of children in foster care
- Support in understanding and complying with the DCF Family Resource Policy
- Weekly home visits and 24/7 on-call support and availability
Support for the Whole Family
Once a placement is made, Massachusetts MENTOR helps the child make a smooth transition into the kinship foster home. Each family is assigned a Program Services Clinical Coordinator, who makes weekly home visits and provides case management services.
The Coordinator works in partnership with the child’s entire circle of support, including their family of origin, foster parents and their DCF Family Resource Worker, to help ensure a positive outcome for the child.
Case Management
The family’s Coordinator ensures that all of the child’s needs are met in the foster home. Depending on each child’s needs, this may include medical or dental referrals, helping the child remain stable in school, and support accessing other community resources as needed.
Trauma-Focused Care
Our Kinship Support program provides components of Family Vistas,® our trauma-focused, evidence-informed Therapeutic Foster Care model. Designed to help children heal following trauma, the model emphasizes keeping strong family bonds between the child, their family of origin and their foster family.
Skill Building
Massachusetts MENTOR helps kinship foster parents develop strong parenting skills through our skill development course RELATE (Relationship Development and Therapeutic Engagement) and skill-building topics including shared parenting and
separation, loss and grief.
Foster Parent Support Groups
Massachusetts MENTOR offers support groups in which caregivers receive encouragement and emotional support from other foster parents.
A Continuum of Caring
When it comes to caring for children in foster care, one size doesn’t fit all. Massachusetts MENTOR’s services are tailored to the needs of each child and family. We offer a wide range of services including In-Home Therapy and Therapeutic Mentoring, which can support kinship families as their needs change or to help a child transition back to their family of origin, where appropriate.