Advanced Fetal Care Center (AFCC)

Information and support

Compassion is a guiding principle throughout the care process. The Advanced Fetal Care Center believes in honest and open discussions about test findings and treatment options. We know that this information may be anxiety provoking and sometimes overwhelming.

Our clinical social worker is available for confidential supportive counseling around fetal diagnosis, decision-making, coping with high-risk pregnancy, hospitalization, and chronic illness-related issues. Social workers at Boston Children's Hospital are members of the multidisciplinary care team and are trained, licensed professionals who provide a spectrum of psychosocial services that enhance the quality of care for patients and their families within the hospital and in a variety of community settings.

Our social worker is also available to you as a resource person and can provide information on community resources, referrals to mental health professionals in the community, and access to hospital-based support related to accommodations and other costs associated with your hospital visit.

Family to Family Program

Boston Children's Hospital is also home to the  Center for Families which is a resource center for families and coordinates a number of different programs. One program in particular that is used frequently by AFCC patients is the Family to Family Program.

Often the best support comes from parents who have been there before. Our Family to Family network matches families now coming through the AFCC with trained volunteers who have a child with a particular health concern, for information and emotional support.

To get connected with a support family, discuss your interest with the AFCC social worker or nursing staff who will provide you with a release of information form to complete to initiate the match. This release insures your privacy and gives the Family to Family Program permission to provide basic information to the support volunteers to prepare them for speaking with you.

Once that step is complete you will receive a call from the Family to Family Program Coordinators, Paula Langone or Monique Mello, who work in the Center for Families and will set you up with your match. Matches usually connect by phone for one to three conversations to provide you the opportunity to ask questions, gather information and support. It is important to remember in speaking with another family, that not every patient and/or family story is the same, but that family's experiences may have similar themes, emotions, and potential strategies for coping that can be helpful to you.