Project Connect

The Project Connect program coordinates child and family-centered services for children/youth who suffer from severe emotional disturbances.  Project Connect is designed to empower parents/guardians to become informed consumers in their child's treatment and to surround these children with comprehensive services that allow them to live in their own home and community.  All services provided through Project Connect are dictated by the individual child's or family's needs.  Both in the home and in community-based centers, MSPCC addresses the needs and concerns of multicultural and linguistic minority families with a culturally-diverse staff, bilingual services, cultural understanding, and more.

Project Connect is based on:
1. The promotion of inter-agency collaboration in service delivery.
2. The inclusion of parents/guardians in the planning process.
3. The provision of flexible funds for services unavailable through the service system.

Determine program eligibility
Make a referral

A Team Approach
Project Connect facilitates five inter-agency teams serving children and families in Newton, Walpole, Weymouth, Quincy, and Waltham.  Each team is comprised of representatives from the Department of Mental Health, Department of Mental Retardation, Juvenile Justice, and Special Education.  Team meetings are held bi-weekly and include the standing members of the team, professionals working with the family, and significant persons in the child and family's natural support network (i.e. extended family members, clergy, friends).  Team meetings are designed to develop an individualized plan of services and supports that build on the strengths of the child and family.

Parent Partners
Parent Partners, serving as the direct case managers for families, ensure that service plans are continually adjusted to meet each family's changing needs.  These trained professionals are also parents of children with severe emotional disturbance themselves.

Flexible Funds
Project Connect uses flexible funds to pay for services that are not covered by the service system or insurance and programs that are unaffordable or do not exist for youth/families.  Flexible funds can also be spent on non-traditional programs/services such as behavioral consultants, therapeutic recreation, specialized groups, sibling support groups, tutoring, transportation, and respite care.

More Information
For more information on Project Connect, please contact an office near you.