What We Do

Baby's Breath seeks to help infants living in unstable, at-risk homes.

The organization was first conceptualized by Teresa Rafferty, Ph.D, LICSW, through her research on attachment disorder stemming from multiple placements of infants in the foster care system. The outcomes for these children are bleak.

"As adults, former foster care children make up 30% of the homeless and 25% of the prison population."
Diane Sawyer, ABC Primetime June 2006.

"Children who spend their early years in foster care are more likely than other children to leave school, become parents as teenagers, enter the juvenile justice system and become adults who are homeless, incarcerated and addicted to drugs."
Ensuring the Healthy Development of Infants in Foster Care: A Guide for Judges, Advocates and Child Welfare Professionals; January 2004.

Baby's Breath seeks to remedy these problems by heading them off before they can begin. Staff at the Baby's Breath home will address the developmental needs of each baby and work with the Department of Social Services and the Massachusetts court system to expedite the outcome decisions for these children.

The Baby's Breath program is driven by the following guiding principles:

• Every child and family should receive services without regard to race, religion, national origin, sex, physical disability, or other characteristics, and services should be sensitive and responsive to cultural differences and special needs.
• Every child has the right to be safe and to feel the security that stems from achieving permanent life long relations.
• Providing a nurturing environment for infants and toddlers means understanding the unique developmental, emotional and cultural needs of each child we serve.
• Respect for each of the families that we work with begins with understanding who they are, their strengths, values, and views about how to support a positive family milieu.
• How we work together on a Family Team, is as important as our individual competencies.
• Thoughtful and consistent reflection on our practice leads to ongoing quality improvement.