Child & Family Services Proudly Announces its Community Service Agency (CSA) Expansion

Child & Family Services’ Community Service Agency (CSA) program is pleased to announce its expansion into Greater Fall River and Greater Plymouth MA.  The CSA was established in 2009 as part of the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Since 2009, CFS has successfully operated a robust, high-quality CSA program serving the Greater New Bedford region. Throughout this time, the agency has built and sustained the infrastructure necessary to support both existing operations and continued growth.

Building on this strong foundation of experience and service delivery, CFS has been awarded the Fall River Community Service Agency, which will be co-located with the organization’s Fall River Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC) and the other Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) programs at 160 Osborn Street The CSA program will continue to draw from community partnerships and internal programs to enhance collaboration for CSA clients and facilitate discussions about natural support for our families.

For nearly two decades, CFS has delivered Intensive Care Coordination (ICC) and Family Support & Training (FS&T) services out of New Bedford as part of the CSA. The agency is proud to expand its continuum of care with the addition of the Family Intensive Treatment (FIT) program to the CSA’s umbrella of services in Greater New Bedford, Greater Fall River and Greater Plymouth alike. FIT offers short-term, team-based support to help youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) stabilize and transition to community-based care within four to six months Within the Community Service Agency (CSA), each team member is guided by the principles of wraparound care, emphasizing “family voice” and “youth choice.” Together, they work to ensure high-quality, individualized care planning and coordination for children and youth with complex needs and their families.

“Our CSA Program remains committed to placing youth and families at the center of our care, delivering an integrated system of behavioral health services tailored to their unique needs. This expansion allows us to provide intensive care coordination with additional clinical support through FIT to even more families across the Commonwealth, with minimal to no wait”, said CEO Wendy Botelho. Integrating this resource within the agency has strengthened the ability to deliver comprehensive coordinated care—giving clients access to a full range of behavioral and mental health services under one roof.