Foster Care and Family Services

Ensuring a caring, stable home

We empower birth families and foster families to support every child’s needs.

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Program Overview

Whenever possible, our goal is family preservation or reunification with the birth family. We empower all family members to build skills and create opportunities for success. KDC collaborates with other agencies, school departments, therapists and medical staff to ensure that every child, along with their birth and/or foster families, are served by a comprehensive treatment team.

Services We Offer

Support and Stabilization: Our strengths-based approach to families of origin can prevent a child from entering foster care. Each family is assisted in meeting their needs and reaching their goals with flexible, individualized services such as parent coaching, educational support, aftercare and support groups. KDC staff help to find a family’s natural supports within the community, with the goal of keeping the family intact.

Intensive Foster Care is provided by KDC in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF). It provides specialized care for children and youth with a wide variety of needs:

• Mild to severe medical needs, cerebral palsy, or seizure disorders
• Autism (ASD) and Pervasive Developmental Delays (PDD)
• Infants born exposed to, or dependent on, substances
• Developmental disabilities
• Behavioral challenges requiring therapeutic intervention

Lives in Forward Transition (LIFT): LIFT is a voluntary program for youth in the foster care system ages 16-22 who have been involved with DCF for a long period of time. Through LIFT, these young people work intensively on their independent living skills, working with KDC staff on their goals and next living arrangements as they prepare for transition out of a foster care home.

Independent Living Program: This community housing program helps young adults transition from long-term foster care into lives of independence. While living in a private apartment, participants work with daytime support staff who help build their skills for employment, education, budgeting and household management.

Who We Support

KDC family services and foster care programs support children from birth through young adulthood (see program details above). KDC foster care participants typically have complex medical needs, developmental disabilities, or histories of trauma. Children and families may be referred through DCF or other community partners.

Staff Excellence

With our range of clinical and community experience, KDC supports children in foster care at every stage of their development and ensures that foster parents are prepared to do the same. We see KDC as partners in the journeys of birth families, foster families, and the children we serve.