You Are Not Alone

Acknowledgments

The purpose of this guide is to provide parents with a child in foster care the information they need to advocate for themselves throughout the process.

This guide was originally written in 2010 by Massachusetts parents with children in foster care. It was based on the booklet “The Survival Guide to the NYC Child Welfare System,” published by the Child Welfare Organizing Project (CWOP) in New York City.

We remain indebted to the parents who dedicated their time and energy to the creation of this guide.

Fifteen years later, the guide is still in constant demand. In this edition, we have updated the system’s information that has changed over the years. We have worked hard to ensure that the voice of the parents remains.

This edition would not have been possible without the leadership of Heather Rebmann Hernandez, MSW, Program Director of Support Groups at Parents Helping Parents, who guided and coordinated the update of this guide.

This document was written specifically by parents for parents with children in foster care. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) employees did not participate in the creation of this document. DCF has reviewed this document for accuracy of terminology.

St. Andrew’s Church and the Children’s Justice Act (CJA) exclusively provided the funds to develop this edition of the guide.