Children shouldn’t leave foster care in worse shape than when they entered.
For all citizens of Massachusetts, foster care represents OUR care—and we’re striving to make sure that foster care improves young lives. During FY2022 (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022) 13,045 unique children, youth, and young adults were in out-of-home care in Massachusetts (DCF Annual Report FY2022). We work with state officials, providers, policy makers, citizens, other advocacy groups, and young people themselves to promote policies and support efforts to improve the Commonwealth’s child-welfare system.
The current outcomes for children and young people in foster care in Massachusetts demand attention in light of years of DCF reforms with significant increases in state funding (see page 44 of DCF’s FY2022 Annual Report):
Massachusetts has one of the highest rates in the country of young people who leave foster care without a permanent family (Child Trends FY2019 & 2020).
Massachusetts has one of the highest rates in the nation of foster-care placement instability (Child Trends FY2019 & 2020).
Massachusetts has one of the highest percentages in the nation of children in foster care for longer than five years (Child Trends FY2019 & 2020).
Massachusetts has one of the lowest percentages in the nation of children being adopted out of foster care by relatives (Child Trends FY2019 & 2020).
Young people who age out of foster care without permanent families fare poorly in terms of education, employment, criminal justice system involvement, substance use, housing stability, and economic success (Foster On; Annie E. Casey Foundation)
Foster-care issues are social-justice issues. Foster-care outcomes are intertwined with systemic injustices related to economic status, race, and LGBTQ identity. (Citizens for Juvenile Justice: "Shutting Down the Trauma to Prison Pipeline" & "Missed Opportunities"; Commonwealth of MA Commission on LGBTQ Youth “LGBTQ Youth in the Massachusetts Child Welfare System, A Report on Pervasive Threats to Safety, Well-Being and Permanency”; and "Away from Home, Youth Experiences of Institutional Placements in Foster Care")
As long-time, independent service providers and advocates for young people placed in the foster-care system, we are uniquely positioned to bring about positive change.
Through our policy advocacy initiatives, Friends of Children lives out its call for Truth, Action, and Change.
Current Initiatives
Oversight: Reforming Foster-Care Review Through Independence from the Department of Children and Families (DCF)
Make a Difference!
Join our network of volunteers and professionals working to pass important legislation to improve the lives of children and youth in the foster care system in Massachusetts.