Successes

Program evaluations demonstrate that Children's Friend is not only helping more children and families than ever, but that our programs are getting stronger and better each year. All of our programs are serving increasing numbers of people, from family support workshops to CHILDSPAN training sessions. Evaluation data shows that people are making significant progress on goals related to health care, decreasing developmental delays, increasing parenting skills, decreasing stress, improving clinical functioning, decreasing negative behaviors and situations, and increasing adoption permanency rates.

At Children's Friend, we measure our success by the children and families we serve. Whether it be placing a child in a safe and loving foster home, helping a mother find food and shelter for her family, bringing fathers together to discuss parenting issues, or some other effort, Children's Friend is dedicated to improving the lives of Rhode Island's most vulnerable children and families.

In 2007 alone:

16,131 individuals participated in services from Children's Friend.
 
44 families that adopted special needs children received counseling, crisis intervention, and other services helping them stay together and thrive.
 
361 families with vulnerable, young children participated in comprehensive, home-based services and group sessions provided by the Family Support Initiative and 1,210 families received crisis intervention, parent support, and other services through the Family Support Centers.
 
105 children received quality bilingual child care services.

1,559 children and their family members received individual and family counseling services addressing issues of loss, parent-child conflict, school and behavioral issues, etc.

3,011 early care and school age educational professionals participated in training and technical assistance sponsored by CHILDSPAN, Rhode Island's child development and education training system.

10 children were placed for adoption and 39 children were placed in foster care with loving families.

119 substance-affected families participated in intensive, home-based services through Project Connect; services designed to help parents overcome addiction while safely parenting their children.
 
41 families received crisis intervention and intensive home-based services through Project Family. Services target families where child abuse and/or neglect are present and the risk of child placement is high.
 
271 infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities were provided therapy and educational services though the Early Intervention program.
 
259 children, biological parents, and foster family members received concurrent permanency planning services and support through the Partners in Permanency program.
151 mothers of at risk newborns were visited at home by the nurses and social workers of the Family Outreach program. 

59 fathers were served through parenting groups, specialized workshops, and individual contacts in both home and community settings by the Dads Making a Difference program.

520 family care providers received training and technical assistance concerning nutrition and health eating for the children in their care through the Child and Adult Food program.