Behavioral Health

Health Services for Child Welfare Involved Children & Youth

Adolescent Health Education Initiative Care Management and Coordination Health Services for Child Welfare Involved Children & Youth Nurturing Family Health Initiative Partnership to Improve Community Health Outcomes School Based Mental Health Services School Response Teams Supportive Housing

Abuse, violence, and threats in the home of a child can have damaging long-term effects on health, ranging from increased risk of heart disease to depression and suicide. As a result, youth who are involved with the child welfare system often have heightened health care needs. The Foundling provides free medical and mental health services for all of the young people in our foster care programs, and also provides health services to youth in care with other providers throughout New York City.

Health Services

Mental Health Services

Placement in foster care can be a traumatizing experience due to separation from one’s family, and placement into an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar caregivers can create additional stress. These stresses can lead to mental health problems, which require specialized trauma-informed treatment and an understanding of the unique needs of children in foster care. In order to address this, The Foundling launched our Mental Health Services program. The clinical program at The Foundling is staffed by psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists who have expert knowledge in the psychological and systemic issues that children in foster care often struggle with. All mental health services are trauma informed and tailored to the needs of children and families.

Health Services

Alternatives for Families – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Children in our general foster care population receive an evidence-based intervention called Alternatives for Families – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a therapeutic intervention model developed to address individual and family involvement in conflict, coercion, and aggression.

Health Services

Medical Services

The New York Foundling began providing pediatric medical services in 1882, and today our medical program aims to provide every child and youth in our foster care programs with high-quality medical services by professionals that understand the unique needs of this population. Medical services are provided at our clinics located in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, and include pediatric medical and dental services, optometry services, and intensive medical case management.

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Success Stories

From the hospital room to a happy home

Marina was thrilled to learn she was pregnant for the second time. But when she discovered she was expecting twins, the excitement quickly shifted to anxiety. It had been nearly 13 years since she had her first child, and she worried that having twins would be a completely different experience. With guidance from The Foundling’s Healthy Families Program, Marina refreshed her parenting skills and learned about community resources available to her and the new babies, Amaya and Ayden. From the hospital room to today, The Foundling's family support specialists have been there every step of the parenting journey. “The program has given me confidence in being a mom,” she says.

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