Westford Parent Support Group 

• Are you experiencing the challenges of parenting a child who may be struggling with their mental health? The Westford Parent Support Group is a safe space to come together and receive caring support, learn skills and receive supportive resources.
• The group meets the 2nd Thursday of every month from 7-8:30 at the Town Meeting Hall Room at Town Hall, 55 Main Street in Westford.
  • The October 2023 and November 2023 meetings will be held in the meeting room, basement level, of the J.V. Fletcher Library. Westford
• Co sponsored by the Community Wellness and Health Departments
• Parent Support Group Flyer

Parents Helping Parents

• https://www.parentshelpingparents.org/
• 617-926-5008
• Parenting isn't easy. Parents Helping Parents connect parents with parents in both virtual and community support groups to share challenges, express frustrations, and ask questions. Find the support and feedback you need to help yourself and your children.

Handhold

• https://handholdma.org/
• Handhold was created by a team of mental health and child development experts in partnership with parents who have gone through what you are going through. Their goal? To guide you in caring for your child’s mental health and emotional well-being.   
• Family partners and parents of kids with similar experiences to yours told them what they wished they had known earlier in their journey.  Mental health experts, including child psychiatrists, social workers, and psychologists, selected the most relevant and useful resources, which are shared on their site.

Department of Children and Families (DCF)

• https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-department-of-children-families
• The Town of Westford is covered by the Greater Lowell DCF office. To report child abuse and neglect call 978-275-6800
• Become a foster parent - https://www.mass.gov/foster-care

Lowell Family Resource Center

• 27 Prescott Street Lowell 978-455-0701   www.nfima.org

NAMI Family Support Groups

• To find a local group : https://namimass.org/nami-family-support-groups/
• NAMI Family Support Groups are free groups for family members, friends, and other caregivers of people diagnosed with mental health conditions. Family Support Groups provide a nonjudgmental environment where caregivers can discuss concerns, learn about local resources, and benefit from one another’s collective knowledge and experience. Led by NAMI-trained facilitators who are also family members, they provide comfort, hope, and a sense of community.

First Connections:

• www.firstconnections.org
• First Connections' mission is to equip parents with tools, practical strategies, and connections to other families and their communities to foster healthy parenting and guide them through the first years of the parenting journey. 
• First Connections offers the First Year of Life program, Playgroups and Parent Education for families with children under the age of eight.
• New as of December 2022, First Connections will provide ParentChild+ home visiting program to families. Families can enter the ParentChild+ program when their child is 24 to 36 months (with some flexibility) and participate for up to 2 years. Each week an Early Learning Specialist makes two 30-minute visits to the home, bringing a new book or toy each week that the family will get to keep. The specialist models reading, conversations, and play activities designed to promote language, literacy, and school readiness. 

The Roudenbush Community Center, INC

• https://www.roudenbush.org/
• 65 Main Street, Westford 978-496-1707
• Early childhood offerings, at the Frost and Old Nab facilities, include infant, toddler, preschool and pre-kindergarten programs. 
• Community Education programs are vast and include age appropriate art, music, pottery, language and sports classes for children and adults. Teen-focused offerings include video production, S.A.T. & ACT preparation classes, and college essay writing workshops. Programs and services run after school and in the evenings.

OneToughJob

• https://onetoughjob.org/
• Created by the Children's Trust, onetoughjob.org connects parents in Massachusetts and beyond with the latest and greatest parenting information, ideas, and on-the-ground resources. They also provide a bridge to help you find other moms and dads who have asked the same questions and faced similar challenges. 

Federation of Children with Special Needs

• https://fcsn.org/
• (800) 331-0688
• The Federation empowers families so that they have the information and resources they need for their children. They work with families with children from birth to adulthood, providing individual assistance, training, and leadership development and support. They focus on education, early intervention, health care, transitions, children in foster care and group homes, and building strong family engagement to support all children, especially those children with disabilities, those at risk, and those with economic, cultural or linguistic barriers