By Tom Butero Site Director, Child & Family Services May 15, 2013 Each May, we as a nation recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, during which we call for changes in the current system and stress the importance of mental health services. Following the tragedy in our area just a month ago at the Boston Marathon, [...] more »

By Cynthia Mccormick cmccormick@capecodonline.com HYANNIS — Ina Gould does a lot more than talk therapy when she visits the homes of child clients as a therapist with Child & Family Services. She has helped young clients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder organize cubbies to store belongings and demonstrated deep breathing techniques to families with a [...] more »

By Mike Page April 22, 2013 Recent gun violence has crowded news headlines across the nation, raising difficult questions within our government about gun control, but also bringing much-needed attention to the connections between gun violence and mental health awareness and care. Although Massachusetts has some of the strictest laws surrounding purchasing firearms, there have [...] more »

By Deborah Allard Herald News April 11, 2013 FALL RIVER – In the mid 1800s, local children who’d lost their parents begged on the streets and stole from shops to eat. Some of the children were left homeless by mothers who passed away and fathers who died at sea during the whaling era. Others came from [...] more »

On March 28th, several clients and staff of Child & Family Services’ Young Parents Believe & Achieve (YPBA) and Young Parents Support (YPS) programs attended the Teen Parent Lobby Day at the State House in Boston. The event, hosted by the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy, invited young parents involved with similar state-funded programs throughout [...] more »

By Sarah Gonet March 26, 2013 NEW BEDFORD — In the grand scheme of things four hours a month isn’t a whole lot of time. Most of us spend considerably more commuting, answering emails or simply sitting in front of the television set. But to a child in need of a mentor, four hours a month can [...] more »

By Anne Sampaio, Executive Director of Child & Family Services March 24, 2013 On March 3rd, Child & Family Services officially celebrated its 170th anniversary of strengthening individuals and families in Massachusetts from our New Bedford base. Since we were founded in 1843 as the New Bedford Orphans’ Home, we have grown steadily to become [...] more »

When Miss New Bedford 2013 Janelle Guenette signed up to become a Big Sister she was surprised to discover there were many children on a waiting list hoping for a Big Brother or Big Sister. After being matched with her Little Sister Sarah, she helped her transition from a shy middle school student to a [...] more »