History
In 1849, we opened our doors at Children’s Friend as “The
Worcester Children’s Friend Society”, a small charity
caring for orphaned, abandoned and neglected children. In 1851,
our organization helped draft the first modern adoption legislation
in the nation – a bill adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Later, we became a founding member of the Child Welfare League
of America and the Children's League of Massachusetts. As needs changed and decades passed, we continued
our work advocating for vulnerable children, and by the early
1940’s we had pioneered a home for children awaiting foster
care. In 1981, we became one of the first agencies in the state to be licensed as a child and family mental health clinic. Today, Children’s Friend is working harder than ever to provide the highest quality services to children and those who love them.
Our Current Services
Our clients are children and families whose lives have been affected by difficulties including abuse, neglect, family instability, death, substance abuse, and mental, emotional and physical problems. We help them through the provision of the highest
quality of services designed to meet the mental and emotional
needs of children and strengthen families. Children’s Friend
provides:
