In January 2006, in Rosie D. v Romney, U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor found Massachusetts’ delivery of services to children with serious emotional disturbances to be “woefully inadequate,” citing fragmentation of services, lack of coordinated case management and inadequate in-home services. This decision supported the experiences of members of the Assabet Valley Collaborative’s Family Success Partnership (FSP), which was founded with a mission of overcoming barriers between public schools and state and community agencies that deliver services to children with mental health needs.

While state agencies do provide an array of services for families with mental health needs, not all qualify. And even if they do, there can be negative consequences to the family for requesting services. Frustrated by these barriers, a working group comprised of leaders from state agencies, local special educators and community mental health agencies began meeting in 2005 to create a partnership that addressed the problem. In 2006, they received an initial grant of $94,200 from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation. Since then the program has served 40 families from the participating school districts of Framingham, Marlborough, Northborough, Southborough and the Collaborative.

Having created an effective collaboration, the Family Success Partnership was nominated by the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation for a Robert Wood Johnson Local Funding Partnership to expand the pilot program and serve as a model for other communities facing similar issues. The MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation serves as the lead local funding partner with a grant of $300,000. The Sudbury Foundation, Greater Worcester Community and C.F. Adams Trust collectively contributed $200,000 towards to $500,000 match provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“Support from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation really helped our vision grow from an idea to a wonderful resource for families who are working hard to make life work but aren’t eligible for state-funded services,” said Jean Bean, retired Director of Student Support Services at Northborough/Southborough Regional School Districts. “The Robert Wood Johnson funding will help the program grow and continue to support underserved families with mental health needs.”

Michael's Story

Michael is an 8th grader
whose family relocated to Massachusetts to address the significant special education needs of his younger brother, Billy who is deaf and has autism. During the year, Michael’s teachers began to notice that he appeared withdrawn and was increasingly absent. He revealed to a guidance counselor that his parents were divorcing. In a follow up phone call to the home, the guidance counselor learned that Michael’s mother had been hospitalized for depression and a suicide attempt. To make matters worse, Michael’s father expressed an unwillingness to maintain an involvement with his family.

It was at this point that Michael was referred to the Family Success Partnership. An assessment indicated a need for stabilization and crisis intervention. The team helped mom develop a safety plan and contract, and helped her to follow up with the town’s counseling network for ongoing support. She received food from the local pantry, utility assistance and help completing the food stamp and subsidized housing applications. In addition, the town social worker and FSC helped Mom apply for SSDI and legal aid to secure child support from her ex-husband. The school agreed to provide counseling, free lunches and holiday assistance for Michael.

Three months later, Mom is regularly attending therapy, receiving support for necessities and has begun to receive SSDI benefits. Michael also reports feeling supported by the school and is less anxious about his mother’s safety. His attendance and grades have improved dramatically and he was recently accepted to the local technical high school.