"The Maryland Association of Resources for Families and Youth (MARFY)
is an association of private sector agencies joined by a common commitment to improving the lives of children, youth and families"

About Us:

MARFY is a non-profit 501(c)3 association of child and family services agencies throughout Maryland.  MARFY's membership is made up of 55 private sector agencies providing services through nearly two-hundred programs across the State.  Services are provided in group homes, treatment centers, shelters, alternative schools, day treatment programs, independent living programs, treatment family foster homes and intensive in-home services for children living with their families.

VISION:  MARFY will be the pre-eminent voice for Maryland’s children, youth and families who stand in need.

MISSION:  MARFY is a provider network, committed to strengthening families, youth and communities through its advocacy for a responsive and accountable system of care that provides high-quality, holistic and culturally competent services to those in need.

MARFY’s Guiding Principles:

• Children have a right to education, to physical and mental health care, and to be safe, nurtured and supported in the homes and communities where they live.  
• Services need to be provided where families live and where children go to school and must build on existing child, family and community strengths and resources.
• Programs and services, and the people who provide them, must respect ethnic and cultural diversity.
• Children and parents must be involved in making decisions about the services they receive.
• Communities are the source of opportunity for children and families and must be supported in their efforts to strengthen families, protect children and to prepare them for adulthood.
• Strategies to strengthen children, families and communities must move people to self reliance.
• Fear, prejudice and discrimination that would prevent children in the child welfare and juvenile systems from living in the community must be eliminated. 

   

MARFY’s Goals

Goal # 1 - MARFY will continually add to its visibility, viability, and credibility in our member community, our state, and the nation

Goal # 2 – MARFY is a provider community with a workforce that will deliver the highest quality of care and services to children and their families.

Goal # 3 - MARFY will continuously define, evaluate, and advocate for the highest standards of care and services for children and their families

Goal # 4 - MARFY will contribute to the sustainability and viability of its members’ programs and services

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