This story is part of Rise’s series by frontline staff at foster care agencies about their experiences working with parents.
Recently, I facilitated a Family Team Meeting with a mother who was going through tremendous stress. (To protect her privacy, I’ll just call her “Mom.”) Her partner had recently died and she’d been diagnosed with a serious illness. She also suffered from anxiety and depression.
Up until the series of crises in her life, she’d worked, had an … Read More
Five parents graduated from a Rise writing group at Graham Windham on June 14, 2016, celebrating 16 weeks of hard work to complete stories for publication. Pictured from left are Melissa Landrau, Mariya Kolesnichenko, Nelson Lopez, Rise Director Nora McCarthy, Rebecca Cedeño and Monique Diaz. Participant D’Juan Collins also completed a story.
This is the second year that Graham has hosted a Rise writing workshop for parents as part of its Family Success Program. Parents in the group … Read More
Five years ago, I was “green” in the field of child welfare. I was three weeks out of college with a BA in psychology. I was motivated to do the job of case planner because I’d always wanted to work with children. I knew there would be some interaction with parents but I didn’t think it would be too much.
The first time I met parents was probably my second day on the job. I’d heard … Read More
This story is part of Rise’s series by frontline staff at foster care agencies about their experiences working with parents.
I took the job of case planner because I wanted to help families, particularly parents.
I believe I have the ability to empathize with people without judging them. I grew up poor in Harlem in the 1980s. My mother received public assistance, and drug trafficking was all around in my neighborhood, so I understand that people can struggle … Read More
This story is part of Rise’s series by frontline staff at foster care agencies about their experiences working with parents.
I have worn many hats and held many positions at Sheltering Arms, the agency where I started in the field of child welfare. I’ve gone from intern to case planner to senior case planner to supervisor to coordinator of services for families that have reunified. What I have seen is that parents need to feel supported and … Read More
