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LAWRENCE
PROGRAMS
Adoption Services
Older Children and Special Needs Adoption
This
program provides services for children in the custody of the Department of Social Services who have the
goal of adoption. These children are often older, members of a
sibling group or of a particular ethnic group. They may have
special needs to include physical,
emotional and/or medical difficulties. The program assesses the
children’s needs and identifies the type of family best
suited to meet their needs. The adoption staff members also recruit,
train and provide ongoing support to pre-adoptive families.
Home
study
and MAPP
(Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) training is provided free of charge to families interested
in providing a permanent home for waiting children.
More...
MAPP Training
MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) training is an
eight week course in which both a trained social worker and an
adoptive/foster parent work with families to teach them about the
needs of children in the foster care system and how best to parent
children with these specific needs. The course delves into
behavioral and emotional needs, legal issues with adopting them from
foster care and other important topics.
Merrimack Valley normally runs the MAPP course on Tuesdays from 6:00
- 9:00 P.M. There is usually one eight-week session offered at a
time. Interested families should call and ask to speak to a Family
Resource worker for information on availability and scheduling.
Once MAPP training is complete, a social worker will help the family
to write a home study. A home study is an extensive document
detailing the family's composition, background, strengths and child
interest characteristics. This document will help other social
workers match children with families that would best their needs.
In order to learn more about adopting children from foster care,
please call and ask to speak to one of our social workers. You may
also fill out a Family Resource Application to initiate the process
or place yourself on a waitlist for the next upcoming MAPP training.
Contact Information
For information about any of these services or other Child and Family Services Programs, we encourage you to contact our office.
Child &
Family Services of Merrimack Valley
439 South Union Street, Suite 203B
Lawrence, MA 01840
Telephone: 978-687-5852
Fax: 978-678-5857
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