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Whitinsville Clinic Workshop Series
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Public
education is a central value at Family Continuity. Our speakers bureau is
active in many communities throughout Massachusetts, and the staff and board
are as proud of these educational opportunities as they are of the mental
health and social services we provide to families.
Therefore, we are excited to
announce that through $1,000 in funding received from Community Partners for Health
and the Central Mass Councils on Aging, Family Continuity will be
providing a series of five topical presentations between now and the Fall of
2010. Produced by the Whitinsville Clinic, the sessions will highlight
community needs and resources in conjunction with:
- National Autism Awareness Month in April 2010
- Children's Mental Health Awareness Week in
May 2010
- "My Feelings", Area Works of
Art" National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day on May 6,
2010
- Understanding ADHD Late
August 2010
- National Suicide Prevention Week September 2010
We thank
Community Partners and the Councils on Aging for the funding that will provide
for the entire cost of these events, which will be open to community members
free of charge. Look for scheduling and topic details soon or contact our
Whitinsville Clinic at (508) 243-4181 for details.
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Initiative Launched in Support of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
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You are closing in on retirement, or perhaps already retired, and
suddenly you find that you've become the primary caregiver for your grandchild.
Instead of "spoiling" them, you find yourself caring for them 24/7. How would
you manage? For these grandparents, unexpected challenges and stresses lurk at
every turn. Family Continuity staff report a steady rise in the number of
grandparents (and other older relatives) who are actively parenting
grandchildren (or young relatives) due to the loss or significant mental
illness /substance abuse issues of a parent or economic and housing issues that
cause them to become the primary parent. Quoting one local Department of Children and Families office
director; "In my office alone 60% of
our foster placements are with kinship families, many of them the grandparents
of the children. As we know this is a life altering event for these
families. It takes much more than just unconditional love to manage the
financial strains, emotional stresses and life disruptions of suddenly becoming
a full-time parent for your grandchild."
This experience is consistent with national and statewide trends. The numbers
are large and growing. Nationally, more than 6 million children -
approximately 1 in 12, are living in households headed by grandparents (4.5
million children) or other relatives (1.5 million). (2007, AARP). In
Massachusetts, there are a reported 67,651 children in grandparent headed
households, another 19,721 living in homes headed by other older
relatives. Of these children, 30,615 are living without either parent
present and 16% live in poverty. (Grandfacts, 2008, AARP). The needs of
the children are well documented through the child welfare system, but the
needs of the older caregiver have gone largely unnoticed. The added financial
stresses to elder caregivers still in the workforce include the support of the
child as well as such necessities as day care. For those already on fixed
incomes, the added drain is often the difference between comfortable retirement
and poverty. The impact on elder's health, mental health and social needs can
be even greater.
Family Continuity is concerned about all families, most especially those who
face the greatest challenges, and works actively with the Massachusetts
Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren to identify
needs promoting services that build stronger families. Family Continuity's CEO,
Skip Stuck recently co-authored with Kerry Bickford, a Commission member, an
article in the newspaper "Common Ground" entitled "Grandparents
raising Grandchildren: From Spoiling to Toiling" that relates
feedback from grandparents about the real-world struggles they face. If you are
interested is reading the entire article, "Grandparents raising
Grandchildren: from Spoiling to Toiling", click here.
Family Continuity has also developed
a model and proposal for funding a program that will meet some of these needs
through a state-wide hotline, support groups, peer mentoring and professional
and public education.
To find out more about Family Continuity's
Grandparent initiative and how you can help support it, call our information
line at (866) 219- 3320.
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Tool Box |
The Massachusetts Commission for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren has compiled a great guide to assist in finding local resources. It can be found on the mass.gov web site at the following link Grandparents Resource Guide. |
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Wish List
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Below are a few items that our programs are currently in need of at this time. If you are able to donate any of the following, please contact
Kevin Nicastro at knicastro@familycontinuity.org.
- Living Room/Den furniture (sofas, chairs, end tables, lamps, etc.) for therapy rooms for Hyannis Clinic.
- 4 foot desks for Hyannis Family Partner Program
- Magazines for waiting rooms in Hyannis, Plymouth, Whitinsville, Lawrence and Peabody.
We are grateful for your donations!
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Therapeutic Foster Homes Needed |
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Family Continuity's Therapeutic Home Care Program
is looking for loving
Therapeutic Foster Homes
to provide structure & support for children with emotional, developmental, or behavioral needs, with the ultimate goal of reuniting the children with their families.
Respite Homes
are also needed for our clients who are living full time with their families, in order to provide a safe place for the child to stay for brief periods of time on a scheduled basis & in times when the child's family is in crisis.
As a Foster or Respite Home, you will receive:
~Therapeutic Training ~
~ A Monetary Stipend ~
~ Access to our 24-Hour Crisis Hotline ~
Please join us in making a difference for these children
& their families. If you are interested in receiving more information about Therapeutic Home Care Foster & Respite Homes, Please Contact Us at: Family Continuity-Therapeutic Home Care Program 9 Centennial Drive, Suite 202, Peabody, MA 978-927-9260 Program Director Stephanie Magdis smagdis@familycontinuity.org
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Real Stories |
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Real Stories are submitted by clients who want to share the success they had thanks to the support and services provided by Family Continuity.
Patrick's Story
I would like to tell you the story of my son
Patrick. I have been a single mother his whole life. Our journey
through the system began when my son was in elementary school and was a
very active, perhaps overly energetic child. I brought him to a
therapist and he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD). As he got older, he became more frustrated with
authority and began to be disrespectful towards teachers and myself.
His therapist and psychiatrist began to talk to me about the
possibility that he may have a mood disorder in addition to his ADHD.
He continued therapy and tried medications to address these challenges,
but as he entered a charter middle school, he began to act more
aggressively than in the past. Soon, we made our first trip to the
emergency room for a psychiatric screening. Things went from difficult
to worse. Over the course of a year, Patrick went through an endless
series of treatment programs and supports (day treatment, hospitals,
acute residential treatment, family stabilization, CHINS, educational
advocacy to obtain an Individual Education Plan).
Patrick was approved for services through the Department of Mental
Health (DMH) while he was at his last acute residential treatment
placement. It was time to act and make sure he got into a stable
setting where he wouldn't be missing school for his frequent
hospitalizations. He had deteriorated so much in one year time, I
couldn't stand to watch it go on any longer. DMH agreed and Patrick was
placed in a specialized foster care program, through Family
Continuity's Therapeutic Home Care Team.
Read more.
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Family Continuity's Mission Statement:
Supporting family success in every community by empowering people, enhancing their strengths, and creating solutions through partnerships to achieve hope, positive change and meaningful lives.
Agency Values: Family, Community, Advocacy, Leadership, and Change Treatment Philosophy, founded on the belief that positive change is always possible:
* The most effective treatment provides a continuity of care, acknowledging that connected, relevant supportive services to clients/client families promote recovery, stability, self advocacy and permanency in the midst of changing needs.
* Therapeutic change occurs in the context of a dynamic treatment partnership between clients and helpers that is founded on choice, respect, honesty, and a shared responsibility for and participation in the development of solutions.
* Effective treatment is empowering and strength-based, recognizing that all clients possess resources for change and that change is possible when these resources are utilized.
* Creating meaningful lives starts with identifying goals and connecting that to individualized, flexible and creative treatment planning that incorporates a client's family/community relationships, culture, and context. |
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