A New Leaf Program

CSR (in conjunction with United Homes for Children, Inc.) has delivered residential care for girls and young women since 1998, serving a total of 120 residents. CSR's A New Leaf Program (NLP) provides short-term group home placement for up to 14 adolescent girls between the ages of 12 and 18 years in the Boston region. The program, which is located at 90 Cushing Avenue in Dorchester, focuses on girls who have been unsuccessful in home environments and foster care. The goal of the program is to create a comfortable "home" environment in which these girls feel safe, cared for, and validated, and to prepare them for a more permanent placement. As a community-based residential program offering flexible options for respite and longer-term placement, the program is in keeping with the agency's plan to develop comprehensive services promoting movement toward permanency. A New Leaf uses the principles and techniques developed through CSR's other innovative programs such as Massachusetts Families for Kids' Permanency Mediation and Lifelong Family Connections to support residents and families.

The program is client-centered, goal-oriented, and focused on the development of personal, social and academic skills. Full-time, trained staff helps the girls learn negotiation and problem-solving skills, conflict resolution, taking responsibility for their actions, and creating a positive self image.

The Program accomplishes the following objectives:

  • Assists girls in achieving more age-appropriate emotional, behavioral and social functioning.
  • Provides the opportunity, in a safe environment, to practice new behaviors based on insight into the relationship between feelings and behaviors.
  • Effects change in patterns of interaction within family and peer relationships, through enhanced positive self-esteem and improved self control.
  • Facilitates the transition of youth out of substitute care and to support their progress towards permanency.

For more information on A New Leaf contact the Program Director, Natalie Sheehan Dias at 617-825-8300, ext. 128, or email ndias@csrox.org.