The Bridge Receiving Center Difference

THE BRIDGE DIFFERENCE

A major problem for children entering foster care is that they often spend their first days and weeks bouncing between the DCYF office, motels, shelters, and emergency care facilities and they have little chance to get their questions answered, let alone process the recent trauma they have experienced.

Bridge Receiving Center is a therapeutic residential program that partners with a children's camp where children (ages 4-17) find an immediate safe place to stay while awaiting a return home/to extended family or a first placement with a foster family.

Here is what makes Bridge different:

Bridge reduces the trauma that comes when a child needs to be removed from home and placed in care

Bridge is a “soft landing” from the chaotic trauma leading to a child’s removal from their home. This program results in greater stability for the children with fewer multiple placements.

Bridge provides stability through trauma-responsive support

Children receive individualized tutoring, counseling, and help in learning coping strategies. All staff members are trained in trauma-responsive care and understand the importance of creating a sense of safety and loving support.

Bridge increases sense of felt safety for a child during transition

Not only are kids kept safe at Bridge, but they also feel safe. Safety is the first step towards healing from trauma for children entering foster care.

Bridge allows more time for better placements

Because we give the courts more time to find the best placement for a child, we have time to provide the emotional, psychological, academic, and medical assessments and support that best aid the child. As placement is facilitated, children have the opportunity to meet their potential foster families in a safe setting before placement. This leads to a smoother transition to their new home.

Bridge reduces caseloads

Having a 30-60 day transition period at the Center results in less need to identify licensed foster families. Around 40% of the children brought into care are reunified with a family member within the first 30 days leading to a reduced caseload.

Bridge has full access to neighboring youth camp facilities

Our partnership with a local camp allows for the children staying at Bridge to have full access to the restorative recreational activities that camp offers while maintaining a separate space and program for these children to heal and recover.

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Bridge is able to keep siblings together

It is commonplace for sibling sets to be split up based on availability and capacity of placements. Bridge does everything possible to keep sibling sets together during this traumatic transition.

Bridge provides an integrated Parent Partner Program

Bridge provides much-needed resources and support to bio & foster parents when their children head home from Bridge which enables extended care for these families during a critical time of re-entry.

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Bridge partners with Family Preservation Services

Bridge works with the State’s Family Preservation Services to provide a place for children whose parents are working on issues causing difficulties in their families to have their children come to Bridge so they can devote their full efforts to addressing their challenges. In this way, children can return home without ever having to enter foster care.