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Adoption Services

Older Children and Special Needs Adoption
This program provides services for children in the custody of the Department of Social Services who have the goal of adoption. These children are often older, members of a sibling group or of a particular ethnic group. They may have special needs to include physical, emotional and/or medical difficulties. The program assesses the children’s needs and identifies the type of family best suited to meet their needs. The adoption staff members also recruit, train and provide ongoing support to pre-adoptive families. Home study and MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) training is provided free of charge to families interested in providing a permanent home for waiting children. More...

MAPP Training
MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) training is an eight week course in which both a trained social worker and an adoptive/foster parent work with families to teach them about the needs of children in the foster care system and how best to parent children with these specific needs. The course delves into behavioral and emotional needs, legal issues with adopting them from foster care and other important topics.

Merrimack Valley normally runs the MAPP course on Mondays from 6:00 - 9:00 PM. There is usually one eight-week session offered at a time. Interested families should call and ask to speak to a Family Resource worker for information on availability and scheduling.

Once MAPP training is complete, a social worker will help the family to write a home study. A home study is an extensive document detailing the family's composition, background, strengths and child interest characteristics. This document will help other social workers match children with families that would best meet their needs.

In order to learn more about adopting children from foster care, please call and ask to speak to one of our social workers. You may also fill out a Family Resource Application to initiate the process or place yourself on a waitlist for the next upcoming MAPP training.

Contact  Information

For more information about Child & Family's Adoption Services, we encourage you to fill out an Adoption Information Form online or contact us at:

Child & Family Services of Merrimack Valley
439 South Union Street, Suite 203B
Lawrence, MA 01843
Telephone:       978-687-5852
Fax:                 978-678-5857