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About Us

One family helping many families thrive.

Founded where the Mohawk and Hudson meet, like the rivers that shaped our region, Northern Rivers Family of Services empowers children, adults, and families to change their lives and build stronger communities.

Comprised of parent company Northern Rivers and member agencies Northeast Parent & Child Society, Parsons Child & Family Center, and Unlimited Potential, we are a family of human services agencies providing help and hope to those who struggle with abuse, neglect, trauma, mental health challenges, educational difficulties, career training and employment, and service navigation through an innovative continuum of home-, clinic-, school-, and community-based, vocational rehabilitative, supported employment, and senior-supporting programs that provide person-centered, trauma-informed innovative solutions to ensure clients live their best lives.

Our quality of care, dedication to best practices, vast knowledge and experience, and passion for our work make us a leading human services provider, nurturing innovation, focusing on outcomes, and constantly rethinking and refining our philosophy, services, and operations to better meet the needs of the communities we serve.

Informed by our 190-year heritage, our 1,400-strong workforce provides life-changing care for 18,000 children, adults, and families throughout 41 counties in New York state. 

Our Mission

Empowering children, adults, and families to change their lives and build stronger communities.

Our Vision

Northern Rivers leads the way in providing coordinated, innovative, comprehensive, and responsible delivery of human services.

Our Values

Northern Rivers is guided by a set of universally accepted principles that guide the actions of every member of our family. We organize these values through the acronym HOPE:

  • Honor: To help others is the highest calling; we strive to do what is right for those in our care
  • Optimism: We believe things can get better if we work together, aim higher, and set meaningful goals
  • Progress: Every day provides an opportunity to improve, and we promise to continue striving
  • Excellence: We hold ourselves to the highest standards, because our communities deserve the best from us

Our Core Principles

Every member of the Northern Rivers family is guided by a set of five core principles that guide the way we treat our clients and each other: cultural competence, family- and youth-driven, strengths-based, safety, and trauma-informed. 

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