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Healing Homes
Intensive Foster Care

Who are we?
Healing Homes is a program of Berkshire Children and Families, a non-profit agency with a 100 year history of service to the families of Western Massachusetts. Healing Homes provides temporary and permanent families for children in need throughout the region.

For more information contact:

For Berkshire County:
Wendy Dickinson
888-742-7443, ext. 34
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For Pioneer Valley, Franklin, Hampshire
and Hampden Counties:
Sara Dutkiewicz
413-584-5690, ext 112
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What do we do?
Healing Homes provides extensive training and support foster and pre-adoptive parents. We work in close partnership with foster parents to provide a healthy and positive family experience so children can heal from previous trauma and loss. This type of special care is referred to as “intensive foster care.” We believe that every child deserves an opportunity to learn, grow, and ultimately thrive in a loving home environment. Children usually remain in their Healing Home for a minimum of 12 months prior to achieving reunification, guardianship or adoption.
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Who are the children?
Children between the ages of 4 and 18, as well as pregnant or parenting teens are referred to Healing Homes by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Most have experienced a range of familial and personal challenges during their young lives. As a result, our children may have learned disabilities or emotional conditions such as depression, anxiety or difficulty maintaining attention.
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Many of our children find it difficult to attach to others-to make that essential human connection. As a result, they generally require more than average attention and structure at home, as well as special educational and counseling services in order to heal and to thrive.

What is the role of the Healing Homes foster parent?
Foster parents are an integral part of the child’s treatment team. This team includes the Healing Homes social worker; the DCF social worker; the child’s therapist; school personnel; and other service providers. The team develops and implements a treatment plan designed to address the child’s physical, social and emotional needs.

Because of the unique requirements of our children, at least one parent must be available at all times to ensure that the child’s ongoing and emergency needs are fully met. Foster parents participate fully in the child’s treatment plan. Due to the higher level of care and attention needed by our children, Healing Homes families care for one or two foster children at a time. An exception may be made for the placement of siblings.
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What financial support is offered.
Foster parents are provided with a minimum tax free stipend of $350 per week per child. All foster children receive full medical and dental benefits, quarterly clothing allowance, birthday and Christmas funds. We also have limited funding for such activities as summer camp, music lessons, sports and after school programs.
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What types of services will foster parents and children receive?

• 24 hours of pre-service MAPP training provided by Healing Home staff and an experienced foster parent.
• Pre-placement visits to the home by the child and family resource worker.
• Weekly visits to the home by the Healing Homes social worker following placement.
• Monthly home visits by the family resource worker.
• 24 hour emergency access to on-call staff.
• Monthly training and support groups for foster parents.
• Clinical services provided by local, licensed mental health professionals.
• Quarterly treatment planning meetings to assess the child’s strengths and needs.
  
• 7 days of paid respite per year.

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• Caring, competent, committed adults.
• Both single and two parent families.
• Families with or without children of their own in the home.
• Homes with the physical space to accommodate a child.
• Families who have the ability to meet the needs of children.
• Diversity in all respects.

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