About the Program

Connecting for Success, which takes a multi-generational approach to addressing intergenerational incarceration, launched with the help of local funding in 2016, and in 2018 the program received federal funding as a Second Chance Act grantee of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The program received another round of Second Chance Act funding in 2021 that will last through 2024.

Connecting for Success is staffed with two licensed clinical social workers and two community outreach/case managers, all of whom have a long history of meaningful involvement with the Dorchester County community either through mental health support, community outreach, or corrections. The two co-founders have practiced as licensed clinical social workers in communities and at K-12 schools, and both have 25 years of experience as mental health practitioners that remain a driving force in their work with Connecting for Success. One of the program’s two community outreach/case managers has 20 years of experience with case management, home visiting, and running groups. The other served as a Correctional Officer for 10 years prior to joining Connecting for Success as an outreach worker in 2016. Through a process of thoughtful partnership and co-creation with field experts, Connecting for Success was founded to support incarcerated parents, children of incarcerated parents, and corrections officers.