Since September 2008, Daisy Cerqueira has helped strengthen many families in crisis as an intern with the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers’ (MAPS’) Family Support Services Program in Cambridge. The soft-spoken yet tough young Portuguese-American is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Social Work. Now that the summer break is ending, Cerqueira is leaving MAPS to resume her studies at Boston College-but she’ll take a lot of experience with her.
Daisy Cerqueira
”I didn’t know what to expect when I first got here,” she says. “I was born in the US, but being a daughter of Portuguese immigrants, it seemed a natural way to work with the community and apply for an internship at MAPS. It turned out to be an amazing opportunity.”
The Family Support Services Program offers comprehensive assistance to children and families referred to MAPS by the state Department of Children & Families (DCF) due to child abuse, neglect or other high risks. In 2008 alone, Cerqueira and the other three Child Social Workers on the MAPS Family Support team helped more than 100 children and family members. The Program is funded by DCF and operates in the greater Boston area, Cape Ann area and Merrimack Valley.
“We go into the families that have been referred to us and try to work with them, to empower and stabilize them,” says Cerqueira. “Our team discusses the best approach to take in each case and if it doesn’t work, we try a different strategy.”
Cerqueira’s work at MAPS was supposed to be finished by late April 2009, when her internship ended. But as she was looking for a summer job, she was surprised by the invitation to become a temporary staff member.
“Daisy has done great work and has been a fantastic contributor in our group,” says Soledade Dinis, MS, Child and Family Services Supervisor. “When we had an opening, we didn’t have to think twice to decide to hire her.”
“Everything was a learning experience,” Cerqueira says. “From the work in the field and with families, to the improvement of my communications and teamwork skills. I feel I am better prepared for my career now. I will bring these assets to whatever position I might take in the future.”
MAPS often has some other interns working alongside its staff members, acquiring experience and helping the agency’s programs. Kerryn Armstrong, a UMass Lowell graduate student in the Community and Social Psychology Program, was one of the latest contributors. She worked at the Lowell office from September 2008 to May 2009, assisting Portuguese-speaking youth in a special Developing Healthy Relationships Program. The group also produced a video on Domestic Violence.