Ep. 13: Covid-19 pandemic boosts need for foster homes

06/15/21 • 44 min

More than 8,400 Massachusetts children are in foster care, and the need is growing as the financial and emotional strain of the Covid-19 pandemic and the state’s opioid crisis continue to take a toll on children and families.

Listen to Bob Costa, program director for JRI's Intensive Foster Care program, and Courtney Edge-Mattos, who is the senior home finder for the program, talk about Justice Resource Institute’s foster care program. The program oversees foster families who provide care for children whom the state’s Department of Children and Families and the state’s court system have found are in imminent danger because of challenges in their permanent homes.

That trouble may range from domestic violence to sexual abuse to drug addiction; and the foster care program provides a temporary stay with foster families while troubles are addressed in their permanent homes. The goal in each case is to reunite children with their birth parents or relatives, and foster parents often maintain close contact with children and their families after they are reunited. That is because children need a permanent relationship with at least one trusted adult, says Costa.

Often that permanent relationship is with foster parents who “stand in the gap” for traumatized children in need of temporary care, said Edge-Mattos. Those children undergo state-required training, plus JRI’s specialized training in working with traumatized children. JRI provides support for their foster parents, providing money for school clothing and holiday gifts, in addition to the state’s daily stipend. In addition, a group called the Foster Friends of JRI, which has a Facebook page, often provides additional support for children and foster parents.

The JRI Intensive Foster Care program has foster homes available for LGBTQ+ children, and Costa says the Intensive Foster Care program is seeking foster parents to help serve the growing need for foster care.

If you are interested in learning more about the program or if you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent, visit jri.org/fostercare

If you are interested in learning more about the program or if you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent, visit jri.org/fostercare

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Ep. 12: Permanent Connections are Vital for a Child’s Success

We all need the people in our lives who know us and care about us, who celebrate our successes and comfort us in hard times. These are the people we call when we get a new job, lock our keys in the car or are facing a big decision.

Permanent, supportive connections are especially important in childhood, when parents, coaches, mentors and teachers help children develop their identity and values, help them know who they are, develop their strengths and set goals in their life.

For a long time, however, social services didn’t recognize the importance of permanency for the children in their care. In this podcast, Meredith Rapoza, division director of permanency and latency services for JRI, and Rachel Arruda, JRI division director of Family Networks and JRI’s service navigator, talk about how social service professionals have come to recognize the importance of permanency in the development and ultimate success of children. They discuss how JRI is ensuring that all the children in its care develop at least one permanent connection.

We’re also joined by Jason Galli, who entered the social services system from birth, and found permanency for himself despite being moved from foster home to foster home and facility to facility. Now a husband, father and someone dedicated to helping children and youth as a partner with JRI, he offers his story of incredible resilience.

For more information about permanency and how you can become a permanent connection to a child, please visit jri.org/lifelongconnections.

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Ep. 14: Courageous Conversations

Staff of Justice Resource Institute don’t shy away from talking about tough issues like racial justice, immigration policy or vaccine hesitancy.

They lead the way.

JRI’s “Courageous Conversations” initiative brings together groups of employees and managers —usually about 50 attend each virtual meeting — to discuss the most difficult topics that come to them, either from fellow employees or from the clients and communities they serve throughout the region.

The initiative grew out of Listen, Learn, Lift, a program started in Lynn to have frank conversations with local youth about racial justice and other tough topics. The conversations and the actions taken as a result were so successful that JRI staff decided to spread the word — and the work — throughout the organization. Staff set the agendas for the bi-monthly Zoom meetings, invite guest speakers and run the meetings. JRI executives give their full support to the initiative, which is in line with the agency’s core value of furthering social justice.

To keep the discussions civil and productive, the group uses a Unity Agreement that outlines principles everyone agrees to uphold at the meetings and that ensure that people are listened to respectfully and feel safe to express themselves honestly. Employees say it builds trust for the entire organization because people feel they are being respected, listened to, and encouraged.

JRI, with over 2,500 employees in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, runs programs helping individuals and families experiencing trauma. It is one of the largest social service agencies in New England. JRI is happy to share what “Courageous Conversations” has taught them and how the program works.

In this Justice In Action podcast, listen here to JRI staff members Dalene Basden, Director of Family and Community Engagement; Matthew Peiken, Northeast Regional Director; and

Amanda Marte, Director of the Young Parent Support Program and an outpatient therapist in the Lawrence and Lowell region, as they discuss “Courageous Conversations.”

Visit jri.org to learn more about Justice Resource Institute and its programs.