Caring for Your Baby: Caring for Your Baby
Babies bring great joy but also great stress to families, and many parents don’t realize how much support they’ll need to care for an infant or toddler. While many states now offer family support services, one-third of children who enter foster care nationwide are 3 years old or younger. In this issue of Rise, parents write about how they learned to care for their little ones, and where they turned for support.
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ICYMI: Rise’s Annual Celebration
Rise’s Annual Celebration was a celebration of stars!Our annual fundraiser was a great success on October 19th at the Lower Eastside Girls’ Club. During the event, we laughed, cried, and danced the night away in celebration of parents, children,... Read More
Black August: A Celebration of Liberation & Freedom Fighters
National Black Business MonthWhile we celebrate and honor Black history during the month of February every year, there’s also a lesser known, but just as important, holiday to commemorate the struggle for Black liberation.
“Black August,” created in 1979 at... Read More
Child Welfare Budget Priorities
The rate for housing subsidies for those who have experienced foster care hasn’t been increased since 1988! This year’s #NYSBudget must modernize the subsidy by raising the rate, indexing it to inflation, and including youth up to age 24. Many... Read More
Rise’s Mandated Reporting & Childcare surveys are now open!
Rise is collecting data to better understand parents’ experiences with reaching out for resources and support from mandated reporters. We’re also collecting data on parents’ and caregivers’ experiences around the lack of child care, accessibility, and what solutions they want... Read More
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In this special issue article, the voices of mothers affected by the child welfare system are at the forefront. A group of five women, including our own, Jeanette Vega and other Rise staff and parents, discuss their experiences with... Read More
Rise Supports Black Maternal Health!
April 11-17 is recognized as Black Maternal Health Week. Across socioeconomic statuses, Black mothers have the highest maternal and infant mortality rate. With the increased restrictions on access to abortion and the criminalization of pregnancy loss, it’s more imperative... Read More
Melissa Landrau, Senior Parent Leader
Melissa has been with Rise since 2014. She started as an impacted parent in our Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program and now helps facilitate it as a Senior Parent Leader. She is an advocate for parents and works... Read More
New Resource Alert: Little Creek Recovery
Little Creek Recovery is an alcohol and drug addiction treatment center located in Pennsylvania. Their main goal is their patients’ long-term sobriety and health. With a multitude of treatment programs, they offer support and resources necessary to maintain a... Read More
Rise Communications Program Report
Through our online magazine, publications, website, newsletter and social media platforms (@readrisemag), the Rise Communications Program shares stories by and for parents, provides information and resources, raises awareness of the harms of the family policing system, highlights community-led solutions and offers ways to get... Read More
Native American Heritage Month: A Brief History of Dehumanization & Displacement
On August 3, 1990, November was declared Native American Heritage Month, acknowledging the original inhabitants of the American land. But it didn’t start there – in 1976, Cherokee American, Jerry C. Elliott (High Eagle), a physicist known for his... Read More
Rise in the Media: Never Can Say Goodbye & Indomitable Podcast
Never Can Say Goodbye is a film about self-determination and the trauma of the child welfare system. After the main character, Shayna, gets in trouble with the law, she is forcibly separated from her children and loses her parental... Read More
NOW HIRING: Development Director
Rise is seeking a full-time Development Director to start in January 2024, approximately. This is a hybrid position based in the Bronx, with three days of in-person work.
Overview:
As the Development Director at Rise, you will play a crucial... Read More
Parents’ Platform Updates 2023
Although Rise has a new mission, we’re still committed to prioritizing parents, their families, and putting their needs and concerns first. Over the summer, we administered our surveys on childcare and mandated reporting to better understand parents’ and caregivers’... Read More
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month: Champions for Children & Human Rights
Source: US Department of State
September 15 – October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. Beginning in 1968 as a week-long celebration, it was expanded in 1988 to coincide with key Independence Days such as Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Costa... Read More
We are excited to announce the release of Rise’s glossary of harmful language within system practices. We partnered with Casey Foundations last year to create an article that highlights the impact that language has in child welfare. In order to support families, we... Read More
“A Taste of All Life’s Flavors” Out Now
Tahita Foggie, a parent from one of our support groups, has released an anthology of poems, “A Taste of All Life’s Flavors,” in collaboration with Dr. Carrie Rosario and Carolyn Jackson. From the sweet joys of living, to the... Read More
Learn About the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program and Apply for 2024!
Learn more about the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program and how to apply! Sign up for an open house information session.Rise Has A New Mission Statement!
Rise is excited to announce an updated mission that reflects our work and focus after a convening of the Rise team. As part of this, we convened to review our current mission statement and ensure it reflects our current... Read More
- The 2023 Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program ran from February through June, meeting both online and in person. The program supported NYC parents impacted by ACS with strengthening their skills, knowledge and networks to be leaders in their... Read More
Congratulations to our Parent Advocate graduates!
On behalf of everyone here at Rise, we’d like to say congratulations to all of our 2023 Graduates!
In May, 18 parents graduated from our Parent Advocate program. Our next session will begin in September 2023 with more information soon to come.... Read More
Urgent: The Family Miranda Rights Act is at risk!
URGENT CALL TO ACTION! DO NOT LET ACS GUT THE FAMILY MIRANDA RIGHTS ACT!
We need your help to move this essential bill out of NYS Senate and Assembly Committees with NO CHANGES.
Call Senator Brisport, Chair of Senate Children &... Read More
Jeanette Vega Appointed As Executive Director
The Rise Advisory Board is thrilled to announce that we have appointed Jeanette Vega as Executive Director of Rise. Over the past several months, the Advisory Board has worked closely with Jeanette as she served as Acting Director... Read More
Loren Horton, Parent Peer Trainer
Loren Horton is a Parent Peer Trainer. The mother of 3 amazing children, one boy and two girls, she was born and raised on the Lower East Side. She’s overcome life obstacles and has a desire to bring love... Read More
Urgent: Justice for Black Families, A Call to Action
A seperated family in need needs our help.
Support Bianca Clayborne and Deonte Williams in their efforts to reunite their family of seven after the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services unjustly and forcefully separated them from their children after... Read More
Cassandra Gonzalez, Program Support Manager
Cassandra Gonzalez is the proud mother of an amazing 2 year old boy. She is a parent impacted by the child welfare system. She came to Rise in 2022 and joined the Rise and Shine Parent Leadership program... Read More
Mary Holiman, Communications & Organizing Director
Mary Holiman has years of experience volunteering with and working for organizations centered around bettering families and their communities through providing support, after-school programs, positive discipline training, and other resources, with her most recent experience focused on providing violence... Read More
Shanene Bryant, Parent Advocate Director
Shanene Bryant is a proud mother who was impacted by the child welfare system personally and has dedicated her career to helping other families. She has been advocating for the past 18 years, previously working with foster care agencies... Read More
Rise Joins Calls to Expand Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit
On December 10, Rise joined the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy and other organizations and advocates for a rally and press event to urge expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).- Rise will close for a period of rest beginning Dec. 26 and will re-open Jan. 3. Our next parent support group will be Jan. 5.
Leading with Love: Rise Honors Co-Executive Director Bianca Shaw
As Bianca Shaw moves on from her role as Rise Co-Executive Director, we celebrate and honor her enormous impact and many contributions to our organization and the movement for family justice over the past five years.Rise is Hiring: Community Organizing Director
Rise is hiring a Community Organizing Director to mobilize NYC parents impacted by the child welfare system and lead our Parents’ Platform for community investment and community-based approaches to preventing and reducing systemic harm.
The ideal candidate is a parent... Read More
Building a World Where Everyone is Safe and in Their Power
Throughout our series on the intersection of family policing and domestic violence, Rise is exploring community-led, anti-carceral approaches to preventing violence, supporting healing and building safety. Malikah, based in Queens, New York, is a global grassroots network of women... Read More
- Here, Rise shares highlights from our 2022 Annual Celebration! Many thanks to all who joined the event and/or donated! See videos and photos from the event.
Congratulations, Rise Parent Advocate Training Program Graduates!
On October 13, Rise celebrated the completion of the Fall 2022 cohort of our Parent Advocate Training Program. This Rise program provides training for impacted parents working as Parent Advocates in NYC foster and preventive agencies. It prepares Parent... Read More- This webpage offers a list of organizations that provide support and resources that we hope can be useful to our community around healing, accountability, self- and community care and safety. We also provide resources that can support our continued... Read More
The Intersection of Family Policing and Domestic Violence: Introduction Sources
The introduction to our series on the intersection of family policing and domestic and intimate partner violence links to all of the sources of information listed below. It also links to additional resources and information that may be of... Read More
New Rise Series: The Intersection of Family Policing and Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence
At Rise, the vast majority of parents impacted by the family policing system are Black and brown women who are survivors of domestic violence (DV), intimate partner violence (IPV) and/or sexual violence. Every year, many—if not most—parents in our... Read MoreStepping Into My Power: ‘I made a change because my kids were hurting’
My biggest fear has always been ACS taking my kids. I have embodied trauma from when I was a child—the system broke me and my siblings apart and took us away from our mom. I wasn't going to allow... Read MoreRise is Hiring: Parent Advocate Training Coordinator
Rise is hiring a Parent Advocate Training Coordinator to prepare NYC parents impacted by the child welfare system to work as Parent Advocates within the child welfare system (preventive and foster care agencies), as well as in impacted communities.... Read More
Reflections on My Work as Part of the Rise Communications Team
Rise has changed and grown a lot over time. We started as a magazine and now have many different programs—the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program, Peer and Community Care Network, Parent Advocate Training Program, Organizing for our Parents’... Read MoreRise Communications Program Updates
Through our online magazine, publications, website, newsletter and social media platforms (@readrisemag), the Rise Communications Program shares stories by and for parents, provides information and resources, raises awareness of the harms of the family policing system, highlights community-led solutions and offers ways to... Read MoreRise Co-Executive Directors Featured on ‘After the Kids Move In’ Radio Show
e Vega Brown and Bianca Shaw were recently featured on After the Kids Move In, a weekly radio show produced by the Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York.Rise Parent Advocate Training Program Updates
While moving toward our vision, Rise works to ensure that parents involved in the system right now have the support of a trained, life-experienced Parent Advocate. During the last program year, Rise trained two cohorts of Parent Advocates hired to work... Read MoreRise Parents’ Platform Updates: Reflections on Our First Year of Organizing
As Rise moves into our second year of organizing, we are reflecting on our successes and developing plans for next steps in advocating for our Parents’ Platform. This year, we joined the efforts of a variety of organizations that... Read MoreRise Parent Advocate Training Program: Frequently Asked Questions
Read our FAQ to learn more about Rise's Parent Advocate Training Program (formerly known as CORE).- Parents need resources to support LGBTQ children and youth in being affirmed, safe and celebrated in their homes, schools and communities. In our report, An Unavoidable System, Rise recommends expanding access to community-based programs that center the needs of... Read More
Supporting My Daughter After She Came Out as Bi: “I see how happy she is and I’m a proud mom.”
My 11 year-old daughter came out to me about a year ago. She sent me a text message that said: “Mom, I’m bi.” She was home in the bathroom when she sent it. I believe she was shy to... Read More- Read answers to frequently asked questions about Rise & Shine 2024.
Learn About the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program and Apply for 2023!
Learn more about the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program and how to apply! Sign up for an open house information session.Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program Updates
The Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program supports parents impacted by ACS in becoming powerful leaders to make change. During the 2022 Rise & Shine graduation in June, we celebrated six graduating parents who shared their stories, poems and... Read MoreThe Rise & Shine Buddy System: ‘Everyone needs a good buddy!’
During a community-building workshop early on in the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program, we did a group activity where we spun around in circles until we were informed to stop. We were told that when we stopped, the... Read MoreCongratulations 2022 Rise & Shine Graduates!
Join us in person or via Facebook Live to celebrate the 2022 Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program Graduates! During the ceremony, you’ll hear more about the program and graduating parents will share their experiences, stories and poems. We... Read More- from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm and monitoring my children. I had no privacy. The homemaker would watch and feed my children. If I had to step out, she would accompany me. It was outrageous. I didn’t feel like... Read More
Rise Child Care Campaign: Town Hall Update, Survey Results and Calls to Action
We are organizing for universal child care unaffiliated with ACS, including community-based respite care to support families when last-minute child care needs or emergencies arise. Most recently, Rise conducted an online survey about NYC parents’ child care experiences and needs... Read MoreSave the Date: Rise Annual Celebration Oct 26, 6 pm
Reserve your tickets to Rise's Annual Celebration today! Suggested donation + free tickets available. Join us at The Banknote Building in the Bronx to celebrate and support parents’ leadership, achievements, goals and strategies in the movement for family justice!... Read MoreNYC’s Budget Pours Funding Into Policing Instead of Family and Community Needs
city budget totaling $101 billion for fiscal year 2023. The budget determines funding for essential services and systems in New York City and reflects the Mayor's and City Council’s priorities.‘Sharing My Lived Experience’: A Message of Support and Resources for the LGBTQIA+ Community
I vividly remember walking into a visit at the foster agency with my girlfriend, bringing clothes for my son. Twice, I corrected a worker who was misgendering my partner, calling her “he” and not “she” because of her attire.You’re Invited! Rise & Shine Graduation
Join us in person or via Facebook Live to celebrate the 2022 Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program Graduates! During the ceremony, you’ll hear more about the program and graduating parents will share their experiences, stories and poems. We... Read MoreRise CORE Graduation: Join us to celebrate!
Please join Rise to celebrate Parent Advocates’ completion of the CORE Training Program!Rise’s Winter 2022 CORE cohort ran from February through May 2022 and provided training for impacted parents working as Parent Advocates in NYC foster agencies.
During the graduation,... Read More
- On April 16th, Rise and Revolution Books Educational Fund co-hosted the NYC debut of Dorothy Roberts’ new book, Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World.
- Rise invites NYC parents and caregivers to complete a survey about child care. We also hope that everyone will use our toolkit to share the survey with your community or network of parents.
Building a Peer and Community Care Network
This series shares our learning about, and vision for, peer and community care to strengthen families and prevent contact with the family policing system.
This series is about parents’ legal rights and representation, as well as related legislation. It provides information to familiarize parents with legal processes that you can potentially seek out, such as early representation or a lawsuit against the family... Read More
New York State Budget Falls Short on Child Care Investments
While NYS took steps forward, much more is needed to create universal child care.Governor Hochul recently released the New York State budget for 2023. This year’s NYS budget invested more in child care than previous years; however, it still... Read More
Torn Apart by Dorothy Roberts: NYC Book Release Event
Rise and the Revolution Books Educational Fund are co-hosting the NYC debut of Dorothy Roberts' new book, Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World. You're invited! Join us by attending in person... Read MoreThis series exposes the harm of punishing parents instead of addressing the root causes of family policing system involvement. We provide information that parents can use to advocate for their families and communities and highlight efforts to target community... Read More
- Rise identified access to child care as a 2022-2023 policy priority and has joined the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), other community groups and child care providers in organizing to pass legislation to fund universal child care in New... Read More
- I am a single mom and it is only my son and I living together. That means that, unless he is in school or at camp, wherever I go, he goes, too—even when I have to go to the... Read More
Family Policing and Trans Youth in Texas
Texas Governor Abbott has called on professionals and members of the public to report parents whose children receive gender-affirming care to "child protective" services. This transphobic and homophobic policing is using mandated reporting and the family policing system to... Read MoreSelf-Care and Community-Care Strategies
As part of our community-building workshops to begin the program, parents in the 2022 Rise & Shine leadership program engaged in discussion about self-care and community-care strategies. Together, parents developed a list of self-care and community-care strategies for our... Read More
Halimah Washington Speaks at AQE Press Conference Demanding $5B for Universal Child Care
Rise joined Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), parents and child care providers at a press conference in the Bronx on February 24th to demand NY State invest $5 billion in universal child care. Rise Community Coordinator Halimah Washington spoke... Read MoreHalimah Washington at AQE Press Conference: “Child care is a family policing issue.”
On February 24th, Rise Community Coordinator Halimah Washington spoke at AQE’s press conference in the Bronx to demand NY State invest $5 billion in universal child care.- Welcome 2022 Rise & Shine parent leaders!
Rise Introduces Policy Priorities to New York City Council Members
Rise meeting with Council Member Althea Stevens.
Rise began meeting with New York City Council Members to introduce our policy priorities. The Rise organizing team and parent constituents met with Council Members Althea Stevens, Chair of the Committee on... Read More
‘If I had access to child care, I wouldn’t have had an ACS case.’
If it was easy to get child care, many families wouldn't get an ACS case or have to deal with the family policing system, because they wouldn’t have to leave their children at home. If I had access to... Read MoreChild Care is a Child Welfare Issue: Why Rise Identified Child Care as a Policy Priority
Halimah Washington, Rise Community Coordinator, discusses the connection between child care and family policing, how child care supports family safety and wellbeing and why Rise identified access to child care as a policy priority.Rise Identifies Policy Priorities: Child Care, Mandated Reporting and Mental Health Supports
In 2021, in collaboration with TakeRoot Justice, Rise released the participatory action research report, An Unavoidable System: The Harms of Family Policing and Parents’ Vision for Investing in Community Care. Following our report release, Rise held a series of... Read More- Rise's Spring 2022 Core cohort began meeting this week, providing training for Parent Advocates working in NYC foster and preventive agencies.
- Keyna Franklin recently launched a staff book club at Rise. Here, she describes why she started the book club, how our learning together can support our work at Rise, and what we are reading.
New SCR Legislation Took Effect January 1st: What it Means for Parents
At the start of 2022, legislation went into effect that changes how New York State’s Statewide Central Registry (SCR) operates. The legislation was developed and pushed forward by parent activists and allies to reduce the harm and scope of... Read More- Happy New Year! We are excited to share an overview of what you can expect to read about from Rise this year.
- Rise will follow the new citywide policy requiring anyone who works in an NYC office or workplace to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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Shakira graduated from the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program and became a Rise Contributor in 2019.
She became part of Rise’s Peer Vision Team in 2020, working to develop a report and model for peer and community care... Read More
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Naashia graduated from the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program in 2020. She then became a Rise contributor and began working on Rise’s participatory action research project. In 2021, she became a Parent Organizer at Rise, and is now... Read More
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Zoraida graduated from the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program in 2021 and began working as a Peer Trainer at Rise. She is part of the parent-led team that is working to develop and implement a peer and community... Read More
Shamara Kelly, Parent Organizer
Shamara Kelly joined Rise through the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program. Shamara heard about Rise through a housing focus group for domestic violence survivors with VOW. She wanted to know more, applied for Rise & Shine, and was... Read More
- Early in 2021, Rise was excited to welcome several new board members–Elliot Williams, Felicia Alleyne-Davis and Joan M. Williams. Later in the year, we also welcomed Kelly Castagnaro and Jeffrey Chang as board members.
- New York Governor Hochul recently signed the Child Poverty Reduction Act into law after it was passed with near-unanimous support from the Legislature earlier this year. This legislation calls for the creation of a Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council... Read More
‘On My Own’: I had to rebuild with my son without support.
in 2007 when I was 20 years old and he was one and a half. I had run away from foster care and had nowhere to live and no money for food. I was also dealing with depression... Read MoreRise Calls for Governor Hochul to Sign Preserving Family Bonds Bill
In October, Rise and Brooklyn Defender Services submitted a letter calling on Governor Hochul to sign the Preserving Family Bonds Bill, S.6357/A.6700 into law. The Senate and Assembly have passed Preserving Family Bonds and now all that is needed... Read MoreI Was Pushed to “Voluntarily” Surrender My Rights—and Still Didn’t Get to Visit My Daughter
I lost custody of my daughter after having to make a decision that no parent should ever have to make. Should I fight the termination of parental rights (TPR) or should I “voluntarily” surrender my parental rights with a... Read More
- Parents at Rise have long documented how the family policing system affects Black and brown people living in low-income areas of NYC. In July, a team of researchers from Duke University and Rutgers University published the study, “Contact with... Read More
Video: Rise Annual Fundraiser, Oct. 27, 2021
Thank you everyone who celebrating parent leadership with us! Enjoy the show! Program begins at 32:45, after a pre-party of music by Batalá
Imani Worthy, who spoke at the City Council hearingAt a NYC City Council General Welfare Committee hearing on racial disparities in child welfare, parents – including Rise’s Jeanette Vega and... Read More
Video: Rise 15th Anniversary Celebration, Oct. 28, 2020
Thank you everyone who celebrated 15 years with us! Enjoy the show! Program begins at 31:00, after a pre-party of music by Compás
Skip to 31:00 for... Read MoreTributes to Rise for Our 15th Anniversary
For our 15th Anniversary in 2020, we asked our community to share their experiences and memories of Rise. Here’s a few!
Allison Brown, NYCCongratulations 2020 Rise & Shine graduates!
Rise Is Hiring: Community Coordinator
Rise is hiring a full-time Community Coordinator to mobilize NYC parents impacted by the child welfare system to develop a Parents’ Platform for community investment and community-based approaches to preventing and repairing harm. The ideal candidate is a parent... Read More2020 Reunification Month Video
Happy Reunification Month to all the families who have reunified! You did it! Congratulations! This 2020 Reunification Month video was developed collaboratively by the ACS Workforce Institute, NYC Parent Advocates Council and Rise leaders. It is for child welfare-impacted parents,... Read More- This report by Tricia Stephens, LCSW-R, Ph.D. is intended to provide family court officers and child welfare professionals who engage with child welfare involved (CWI) parents, introductory knowledge on the trauma-informed approach. Readers will be introduced to the importance... Read More
This Reunification Month, Let’s Commit to Parents’ Priorities for Reuniting Families
This June, we are celebrating Reunification Month against the backdrop of COVID-19. Many in-person visits have been suspended, services have shuttered and courts remain closed, creating additional barriers to reunification. It always requires extraordinary stamina, resilience and hope for... Read MoreA Day to Remember: ‘I wanted them to know I missed them with all my heart.’
My children came home a week before Easter, but when they walked in it was Easter for them. I had new toys, clothing and an Easter basket waiting for them. Even though they knew that I loved them, I... Read MoreThe Shutdown is Impacting My Family
I'm writing as a parent that has been impacted by the coronavirus shutdown and lives in public housing with limited resources. I had a child welfare case, but it is closed and my kids are home with me now.... Read MoreGetting Creative: Support, routines and new tricks are helping my son and me during COVID-19
My son Aaron has a ton of energy, and if he doesn't have a way to release it, we are both not happy. Since the weather is absolutely beautiful, we go out at least once a day. We try... Read MoreReports are Down Overall, But Schools are Making False and Malicious Educational Neglect Reports
Due to COVID-19, children currently are not physically attending school or programs staffed by mandated reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect. Reports to child protective services have decreased significantly. Some quickly jumped to the conclusion that abuse... Read More- Rise acknowledges the pain and grief that black people are experiencing right now and stands in solidarity with the black community.
How Holistic Legal Representation Supports Reunification
As part of our Fighting for Our Rights series and in recognition of National Reunification Month, Rise is exploring how parent legal representation can support reunification. Here, Rise talks with Marty Guggenheim, professor of clinical law at NYU Law... Read More- Before joining a peer support group, I would walk into the foster care agency ready to raise hell. I was having real concerns about my case. I didn’t feel that I was getting the information I needed. I was... Read More
‘It’s Crazy and It’s Torture’: These visiting restrictions are not to protect my sons
As long as we take all precautions, haven’t gone anywhere, check our temps every day and have no symptoms, why can’t I go see my son at placement? My sister is fostering him and wants me there. All of... Read More- OCFS-Regs-Opposition-Form-LetterDownload
Rise Statement Opposing Proposed OCFS Host Homes Regulations
On January 29, 2020, OCFS posted proposed Host Homes regulations for public comment. The regulations would allow the organization Safe Families for Children (and other approved agencies) to operate overnight respite care in New York State. Expansion of voluntary, temporary respite options... Read MoreSuing the System: ‘It was about fighting for my rights.’
NYC parent LaQuana Chappelle explains how and why she sued ACS. LaQuana Chappelle's children were removed by ACS illegally following an accident. After she got her kids back, she got a lawyer and sued the system. The case was... Read More-
Attorney David Lansner explains how children and parents can sue the child welfare system
By Sarah Harris, Shakira Paige, Careena Farmer, Cynthia Zizola and Genesis Pagan, Rise Contributors, and Keyna Franklin, Rise Parent Leader
Many parents feel that what we experienced... Read More
TIPS for Visiting During COVID-19
We know that if you’re visiting your children in foster care only by video or phone because of the pandemic, you are suffering. We hope this tip sheet and resources on coping with virtual visits, self-advocating and taking care... Read More
How You Can Help Your Child Cope During COVID-19
Adapted from the Brain Architects Podcast with Jack Shonkoff, Harvard Center on the Developing Child
Adults are really struggling with the pressures and tensions of this time. When we’re feeling significant stress, anxiety, unease and even depression about what’s going on, you don’t... Read More
- Long-Distance-Activities-for-ParentsDownload Virtual-Visits-Recommendations-and-ResourcesDownload
Visiting During COVID – Resources for Parents
We know that if you’re visiting your children in foster care only by video or phone because of the pandemic, you are suffering. We hope this tip sheet and resources on coping with virtual visits, self-advocating and taking care... Read More
Resources for Parents Impacted by Coronavirus and Child Welfare
Compiled by Keyna Franklin, Rise Parent Leader
04/23/2020 – Virtual Visits in a Time of Uncertainty + Resources for Parents
04/08/2020 – Survival During Triggering Times – Resources for Parents
04/01/2020 – Info for Parents Impacted by COVID-19 + Child... Read More
A Parent’s Ally: Providing “A Bridge” for Parents in Early Legal Representation
Parent advocates have an essential impactful role in providing effective legal representation to protect parents’ rights, prevent family separation and support parents involved with the child welfare system. Here, Iesha Hammons, the Parent Ally at Legal Services of New... Read MoreProtecting Families from Poverty—and CPS: How Early Legal Representation is Working in New Jersey
Parents struggling to provide for their children are often surprised to learn that gaps in basic care caused by poverty can result in allegations of neglect and child removal. Parents struggling with lack of adequate housing or poverty need... Read More‘The Challenges of the Virus Have Acted Only to Heighten an Already Urgent Need for Systemic Change’
The coronavirus shutdown is putting stress on families and is negatively impacting families with child welfare involvement: Courts are closed, hearings are delayed and in-person visits and services are canceled. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Children’s... Read MoreMaking the Most of Virtual Visits in a Time of Separation and Uncertainty
Since the COVID-19 shutdown began, my emotions have flip-flopped between anger at the system, understanding for the safety of my children, and sadness in not seeing them, holding them, playing with them and reading to them. I feel a... Read MoreHow Early Legal Representation Can Protect Families
NYC parents at risk of child protective involvement or facing an investigation can now access legal representation through family defense organizations in their communities. In October, NYC’s City Council also introduced a bill t would ensure that all parents... Read MoreNew Law Reforming NY State Central Registry Will Provide Justice and Relief to Families
On April 3, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that will bring relief to parents accused of neglect. The bill makes it harder to list parents on the State Central Registry (SCR) and limits the time... Read MoreFighting for Our Rights: Parents’ Legal Rights and Legislation to Protect Families
In the coming weeks, Rise will publish a new series about parents’ legal rights and representation, as well as related legislation. Our goal is to familiarize parents with legal processes that you can potentially seek out, such as early... Read More- COVID-remote-intake-flyerDownload
Survival During Triggering Times
It is as if my past has caught up with me: Deserted streets. Food lines. Curfews. Yes, I feel like my past has finally reared its ugly head on American soil. I have been struggling daily since I returned from... Read MoreHow to Plan and Stay Calm Despite Stress
Interview with Kiran Malpe, clinical director of the Strong Starts Court Initiative in NYC
Planning is really important during stressful times, and there’s a part of our brain that plans, organizes and carries out our tasks. But stress and... Read More
Interested in Getting Involved in with Rise?
Contact Form for Parents!If you are interested in joining Rise, we invite you to complete this form.
We will save your contact information and reach out to you about opportunities to get involved that are a fit for your interests and location.
We... Read More
- Rise is working to uplift parents' voices and advocate for parents' needs. Please share your experience with Rise. NYC parents can also join our weekly online support groups led by Rise parent leaders and NYC parent advocates.
Push Continues for Minnesota’s African American Family Preservation Act
Last year, Rise interviewed Kelis Houston, a family advocate and child welfare policy consultant in Minnesota, about Minnesota parents and allies fighting to address racial bias and violations of parents’ rights by the child welfare system. Rise spoke to... Read MoreRise Recommendations to Address Schools’ Over-Reporting to Child Protective Services
The Rise series Surveillance Isn’t Safety began with a focus on schools because NYC schools call in 26% of NYC reports to the state child abuse and neglect hotline. Parents have described the harm caused to their families when... Read MoreSeries: Surveillance Isn’t Safety
Introduction: Surveillance Isn’t SafetyHow Over-Reporting and CPS Monitoring Stress Families and Weaken CommunitiesSeries edited by Rachel Blustain, Rise Contributing Editor
When Schools Over-ReportSeries edited by Rachel Blustain, Rise Contributing Editor
Personal Essays
No Escape: The system failed me as a child but... Read More
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If CPS has been called on you or if you are worried a report may be made, you can call these organizations for legal representation during an investigation. All of the parent defense organizations have early defense teams that... Read More
For NYC Parents: ACS Explains SCR Reports, Education Neglect Law, and “Tiered Response”
Last March, changes were made to Article 10 of the Family Court Act through the state legislature. The changes require schools and ACS to work with parents to resolve educational issues related to a student’s excessive absences prior to... Read MoreNew Research: How Fear of CPS Harms Families
Interview with Kelley Fong, PhD candidate in Sociology and Social Policy at Harvard University, Author of “Concealment and Constraint: Child Protective Services Fears and Poor Mothers’ Institutional Engagement”.
By Keyna Franklin, Rise Parent Leader, and Careena Farmer, Rise Contributor
Throughout our... Read More
- For months before I caught my case with child protective services, I was dealing with my daughter Brianna’s behavioral issues. She was a bubbly little gymnast who liked to do cartwheels all over the place. But she was also... Read More
A Message of Support this Holiday Season
Every day can be a struggle. We all have hard times, but it’s even harder to go though the holiday season alone, especially when you have lost someone special or you are not able to spend time with your... Read MoreRise’s Response to ACS’ Foster Care and Residential Services Concept Paper
In October, NYC’s child welfare agency, the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), released a concept paper on foster care and residential services, outlining its “vision for family foster care and residential foster care services for children and families across... Read More
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I didn’t want to believe that my daughter was autistic, but getting the diagnosis has helped us both
The psychologist’s waiting room was dim and cozy but my daughter was impatient, running up and down. Several doctors came out to... Read More
‘Children’s Behavior Is a Communication’
Ana Rodriguez-Betancourt is a child-parent psychotherapist in New Jersey. We reached out to her because our children had gone through difficult experiences, from bullying, to witnessing domestic violence, to foster care. Our children also had been given diagnoses, like... Read More- Nancy Fortunato, Senior Parent Leader, and Jeanette Vega, Training Director at Rise, submitted written testimony to the NY State Assembly Committee on Children and Families and the Task Force on Women’s Issues as part of a public hearing in... Read More
- Mariya Kolesnichenko, Rise contributor and child welfare system-affected parent, submitted written testimony to a recent NY State Assembly public hearing on family involvement in the child welfare and family court systems.
- Rise is hiring a Program Assistant to join our team of passionate advocates for safety and justice for families affected by the child welfare system. Learn more and apply!
- My son was in several daycare centers starting when he was 6 weeks old. I checked them all out carefully and, in all of them, my son was almost always happy when I picked him up. I felt secure.... Read More
- Throughout Rise’s series on schools and child welfare, parents describe how school reports to child protective services took them by surprise. Sometimes, the calls were made without sufficient cause. Other times, problems at home escalated when schools were not... Read More
How to Get School-Based Supports for Your Child
Many parents at Rise have described how their child’s school denied their child testing for educational disabilities or supports to help a child learn in school, even when the child was clearly struggling. Then, when problems escalated, the schools... Read MoreRise’s director in The Appeal: ‘New York’s Child Welfare Laws Will Advance Justice’
Two bills, awaiting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature, would help reduce the punitive impact of the child welfare system on kids and their families, writes Rise's Director Nora McCarthy in The Appeal.- Stories, articles, and resources for parents under stress.
Rise Testimony Submitted to the New York City Council Committee on General Welfare, October 31, 2019
This year, Rise has focused our work on examining the harmful impact of child welfare’s culture of surveillance on families, particularly low-income families of color. We are pleased that City Council has taken on this issue, and write in... Read More- Nancy Fortunato, Senior Parent Leader at Rise, testified at the October 31, 2019 hearing of the General Welfare Committee.
- Careena Farmer, Rise contributor and child welfare system-affected parent, testified at the October 31, 2019 hearing of the General Welfare Committee.
- Hope Lyzette Newton, Center for Family Representation (CFR) Parent Advocate, Rise Board Member, and child welfare-affected parent, testified at the October 31, 2019 hearing of the General Welfare Committee.
‘Parents Are Blindsided’: NYC City Council bills would protect families during an investigation
Parents impacted by the NYC child welfare system urged City Council today to pass a package of bills to protect families during investigations and hold ACS accountable for its impact on low-income communities of color. "Parents are coming in... Read MoreNow Recruiting: Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program, Feb-May 2020
Do you have personal experience with ACS Foster Care or Preventive Services? Do you want to become a voice for your community? You know your community's challenges better than anyone else. Apply for Rise & Shine!When Schools Use Child Welfare as a Weapon – What a reporter learned investigating malicious reports
Last November, The Huffington Post published an article that documented how some schools misuse reports to child protective services. These reports were done to pressure parents to send a child with behavior problems to a different school or to... Read MoreMy Broken Life – My kids were never taken but child protective services hurt my son and me so much
My story is about how my son’s school came into my life and changed it in a way that I don’t know if I can ever be who I was before. It’s about how I got arrested. Lost my job.... Read MoreA Punishment Worse Than the Crime – I was charged with abuse but my kids were harmed in foster care
September 20th, 2018 was the worst day of my life. My kids were removed from my custody because on September 19, 2018, my boyfriend used corporal punishment on my younger son.He did it because... Read More
Surveillance Isn’t Safety: When Schools Over-Report
Schools play an outsized role in putting families in the child welfare pipeline. Nationwide, schools are the number one driver of reports of suspected child abuse and neglect to the State Central Registry, accounting for almost 20 percent of... Read MoreVideo: Get to Know Our Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program
In 2019, Rise launched the Rise & Shine Parent Leadership Program to build parents’ skills and power to advocate for child welfare reform and for justice and safety in their communities. Watch our... Read MoreThe System Allowed My Ex to Use Investigations as a Weapon Against Me
In 2009 I aged out of foster care with my 1 ½ year old son. I had my own apartment, was in college and had a job. But I was always running late to pick up my son and my rent... Read More
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Series Edited by Rachel Blustain, Rise Contributing Editor
This year, Rise will share parents’ perspectives and recommendations for strengthening families without surveillance and through community.
Too often, when families are struggling, school personnel, doctors and police are quick to call a hotline... Read More
No Escape – The system failed me as a child but now it won’t leave me alone
As a child I cried out for help to child protective services. But the system didn’t help me when I was a child, and it hasn’t helped me as a parent.
Almost as soon as... Read More
Parent advocates help keep families together, so why aren’t more of them working in NYC?
Reported by Keyna Franklin and written by Aleesa Mann
Jovonna Frieson is a parent advocate at New Alternatives for Children. The only one. It’s a job she considers an honor but also a stressor given that the agency works with... Read More
* Recognition from the podium at the Rise & Shine breakfast * Full page ad in Rise & Shine program booklet * Name and logo online * Invitations to public education events about child welfare as a justice issue * Tickets to community... Read More
* Full page ad in Rise & Shine program booklet * Name and logo online * Invitations to public education events about child welfare as a justice issue * Tickets to community talk-backs on child welfare policy and practice * Print copies of... Read More
* Full page ad in Rise & Shine program booklet * Name and logo online * Invitations to public education events about child welfare as a justice issue * Tickets to community talk-backs on child welfare policy and practice * Print copies of... Read More
* Half page ad in Rise & Shine program booklet * Named online * Invitations to public education events about child welfare as a justice issue * Tickets to community talk-backs on child welfare policy and practice * Print copies of Rise’s annual... Read More
Quarter page ad in Rise & Shine program booklet Named online Invitations to public education events about child welfare as a justice issue Tickets to community talk-backs on child welfare policy and practice Print copies of Rise’s annual magazine and TIPS handouts
* Named in Rise & Shine program booklet * Named online * Invitations to public education events about child welfare as a justice issue * Tickets to community talk-backs on child welfare policy and practice * Print copies of Rise’s annual magazine and... Read More
NY State Legislature Passes New Open Adoption Bill to Protect Children’s Family Bonds
Legislators in New York State are considering passing a bill to ensure that children adopted from foster care can continue to have contact with their parents, even when rights are terminated, if it’s in the child’s best interest. Here,... Read More
Rise Is Hiring: Editor Passionate about Justice
Rise seeks a journalist who is passionate about social justice—particularly issues facing low-income women of color—to edit our parent-written publications and to support parent writers in developing personal essays and reporting on the child welfare system to effect change in... Read More
HBO’s ‘Foster’ Documents a Brutal System but Leaves Out the Solutions That Can Strengthen Families
“Foster” is a documentary that aired on HBO on May 7th and focuses on the lives of a few children in the Los Angeles foster care system. I’ve been hurt by the system as a child and a parent.... Read More
In the HBO documentary “Foster,” Jessica Chandler is a foster care social worker, a mother of two boys, and a former foster youth who speaks candidly about addressing the root causes of child welfare involvement—racism, historical trauma, poverty and... Read More
Rise TIPS on Service Planning – Set of 4 Handouts
This set of 4 TIPS handouts on service planning are written by and for parents who have dealt with an investigation, preventive services, or a foster care case. Most of the time, planning for services happens in a rush, at a... Read More
Insights #2: A Guide to Improving Frontline Practice with Parents in the Child Welfare System
This paper presents Rise’s recommendations for improving frontline practice with parents in the child welfare system. It centers on strategies to increase parents’ power.
As Rise’s parent leaders have written: “To regain our children, we need to find the power... Read More
Rise’s TIPS Approach to Service Planning
This set of 4 TIPS handouts on service planning is written by and for parents who are dealing with an investigation, preventive services, or a foster care case. They provide information and peer support to help parents navigate and negotiate. Planning... Read More
Standing Strong – The knowledge, skills and peer support parents need to lead
Supporting parents and working to change the system brings meaning to advocates’ lives. But it’s also painful work. Here, Rise Training Director Jeanette Vega, Senior Parent Leader Nancy Fortunato and Parent Leader Keyna Franklin explain their own journeys and... Read More
Testimony of LaCrisha Rose to Congress: ‘Prevention Matters!’
Hearing on “Strengthening Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect” U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services March 26, 2019
Good afternoon, Madam Chair Bonamici, Ranking Member Comer, and members of... Read More
Rise’s Robbyne Wiley to NYC City Council: ‘It’s so important to reduce fear’
Testimony Before the New York City Council Committee on General Welfare and Committee on Hospitals
Hello, I’m Robbyne Wiley, a Parent Leader at Rise. Rise supports parents to become advocates for change in child welfare. I am a parent who was... Read More
Changing Industry Perspectives – Reshaping the relationship between caseworkers and parents
Interview by Keyna Franklin
Katya Smyth is the CEO and founder of the social change organization The Full Frame Initiative.
Katya SmythQ: Can you tell us what you learned about services from running On the Rise to help women in crisis?
A: I... Read More
Have things gotten better for NYC’s child welfare-affected families? Parents say no.
NYC’s City Limits magazine published two opinion pieces this week interpreting data about the city’s child welfare agency, the Administration for Children’s Services. Rise’s Jeanette Vega replied:
To the Editor:
Re: “What the Data Says About Child Welfare... Read More
Setting Goals for Success – Preparing for negotiations by outlining what you want to achieve
Photo: Daniel AmesInterview by Keyna Franklin
Daniel Ames is a Columbia Business School professor who specializes in negotiation.
Q: You’ve taught that it’s important to go into a negotiation with a clear idea of what your goal is. Why is that... Read More
Helpful Intervention – A new program prepares families to go to court
Interview by Keyna Franklin
Kiran Malpe is a social worker with Strong Starts Court Initiative, a program that provides information to judges, lawyers, ACS, and workers about the science of human development and how some court decisions can traumatize families.
Q:... Read More
Keeping Your Head in the Game – Coaching parents to achieve economic mobility goals
Jennifer Lowe is a vice president at EMPath, an organization that provides coaching to help people and families get out of poverty.
Q: What does it mean to be a mobility mentor?
A: A mobility mentor partners with a program participant... Read More
Collaboration Is Our Key – How parents in Washington State are changing hearts, minds and laws
In 2007, Children’s Home Society of Washington held a statewide summit for child welfare leadership. Parents who had been involved with the system made up 10% of participants. The keynote speaker, Brenda Lopez, “stunned everyone with her story of... Read More
Partnership in Casework – Improving communication between parents and case planners
Photo: Dana ChristensenInterview by Keyna Franklin
Dana Christensen is the model developer of Solution-Based CaseworkTM and a professor at the Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville.
Q: Solution-Based Casework is about caseworkers having “full partnership”... Read More
From Survival Skills to Coping Skills – How to develop healthy habits in case planning
Interview by Keyna Franklin
Amelia Franck Meyer is the CEO of Alia, a non-profit dedicated to transforming the child welfare system by working with system leaders and partners responsible for getting youth back home with their families.
Photo: Amelia Franck MeyerQ:... Read More
Parents: Know Your Rights – Rise FacebookLive training by attorneys and parent advocates
When Doctors Abuse Their Power – A new book on the plight of families wrongly accused of child abuse
“They Took the Children Last Night: How the Child Protection System Puts Families at Risk,” by parent attorney and policy advocate Diane Redleaf, tells the stories of families who faced allegations of abuse after they brought their children to... Read More
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Interview by Keyna Franklin
Photo: Julia Jean-FrancoisThe Center for Family Life in Sunset Park is nationally recognized for how it builds community to strengthen families. Here, Executive Director Julia Jean-Francois explains how economic stability is the first step toward achieving... Read More
Writing a Wrong – The courage of dedicated advocates can correct the injustices in the system
I unjustly lost 7 of my 8 children to the child welfare system because I was seen as unfit because I was a poor, African-American mother in an abusive relationship.
During my fight for my family, I discovered how child... Read More
Minnesota parents take to the streets, the courts and the legislature
In Minnesota this year, parents and their allies began protesting what they say are routine violations of families’ rights as well as bias that leads to the overrepresentation of black and Native American families in the child welfare system.... Read More
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In this issue, we celebrate the hard work, perseverance and success of the parent advocacy movement and of parents across the country working to end the negative perception and treatment of families affected by the child welfare system.
Parent advocates... Read More
‘I Was Scared But I Stood Up for Myself’
Rise Contributors Melissa Landrau (left) and Mariya Kolesnichenko (right).When CPS showed up at my door, they came in very aggressive. I had just lost my grandmother, who was my caretaker, and had gone through a break-up with my son’s... Read More
Legislation is needed to protect due process for parents
Joyce McMillan is a child welfare affected parent and the coordinator of We Are Parents Too at Sinergia NY, an organization that supports and advocates for people with disabilities and their families. The former program director of the Child... Read More
Rise Testimony to City Council: Nov. 27, 2018 Hearing on Family Separation in Family Court
Hello Councilmembers,
Thank you for your attention to the issue of family separation in New York City family court. Although many people across our city and country have been moved by seeing how it affects children and families to be... Read More
Paying It Forward – As a peer mentor, I help fathers and change the system
Interview with Dustin McClard
When child protective services entered Dustin McClard’s life in 2014, he was using and selling drugs, and facing the possibility of prison. His twins were removed shortly after birth and remained in foster care for... Read More
Peer Pressure – How parents are changing the child welfare system
BY KEYNA FRANKLIN and JEANETTE VEGA
For decades, parents in the child welfare system have felt powerless, demonized, silenced and alone. Things have begun to change in places where parents have united to use their shared experience to support one... Read More
Rise Is Hiring – Apply to join our team!
Rise is hiring two full-time positions! Please share this announcement in your networks:
Parent Leadership Program Coordinator: Rise is looking for a committed, detail-oriented Program Coordinator to lead our 4-month Rise & Shine Leadership Training to build the skills of parents to... Read More
Light in a Dark Tunnel – Sometimes hope can make all the difference
“It’s unfair that you get to spend Thanksgiving with your family and you’re not letting me have my kids home,” my client said. I felt guilty and it did feel unfair.
After the home visit, I returned to the agency... Read More
The Power of Peer Support – Rise Parent Presentation at our 2018 Benefit
Lindsay Reilly (Read by Nancy Fortunato)
LINDSAY/NANCY
Can I call your attention in the courtroom
To the mother with mental illness
With multiple kids and multiple fathers
Who was raised by a system
That never loved her
By people who never loved her
Who gave birth... Read More
Calling All Parents – Speech by Dinah Adames-Ortiz at Rise’s 2018 Benefit
Good evening everyone! And congratulations Rise! Thank you for having me.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge my fellow parents in the audience. Tonight it is about you! Your strength. Your courage. And your importance.
If you are an... Read More
Rise Benefit: Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 – 6:30pm at the New York Public Library
Rise Annual Benefit 2018 October 25, 6:30-8:30pm New York Public Library, McGraw Rotunda 476 5th Ave, New York, NY – Enter on 42nd St.
Speakers
Dinah Ortiz-Adames, Bronx Defenders Parent Advocate Supervisor Jeanette Vega, Rise Training Director Nancy Fortunato, Keyna Franklin, Melissa Landrau, Lindsay Reilly, Sara Werner, Robbyne... Read More
It was a knock on my door in the middle of the night in 1999 that altered the trajectory of my life. I was residing in a family shelter with my 2,4, and 6-year old boys when it happened.... Read More
The first time I visited my son in foster care, I walked into the same CPS office that I’d sat in as a child. I saw my son looking at me with tears running down his face the same... Read More
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This spring, Rise parent leaders presented to all 250 Administration for Children’s Services attorneys who represent the child welfare system in family court. (The division is called Family Court Legal Services, or FCLS.) Rise parent leaders routinely present to... Read More
‘I Felt Terrified—and Shocked’ – How to approach parents in child protective investigations
In 2018, Rise parent leaders were asked to provide input to the Administration for Children’s Services on training for child protective investigators. Our team worked with 20 life experienced parents to develop feedback, including parent advocates working at foster... Read More
Breaking Down Barriers — Once I trusted my caseworker, I was able to make progress
I met my caseworker Gloria when I went to rehab after I got the case. The first time we met, she explained how she could help me get my kids back if I put forth the effort. It was... Read More
TIPS for Parents with Supervised Visits
Even though we love our children and want to see them, visiting children in foster care can bring up painful feelings for many parents. Sometimes visits are scary, stiff, weird, awkward, or sad. Our kids may act angry at... Read More
Plan of My Own — I didn’t think I needed services but I did them anyway
I will never forget the day I returned home from an appointment and saw a note on my door saying that my children had been removed from home. I thought, “Did they take all of my kids?”
When I opened... Read More
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One of the biggest challenges for parents affected by child welfare involvement is planning. When you are in crisis, your mind can’t focus on planning. That can make it even harder to keep track of the many mandates, appointments,... Read More
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Toni Miner and Sherry Tomlinson, parent advocates in Jefferson County, Colorado and Columbus, Kansas, discuss how parents can work effectively with their caseworkers to get the services they want and need.
Q: What can parents do if their worker isn’t... Read More
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Parents fighting to reunite with their kids often feel like they have no say in their family’s service planning and are given services without being asked what they need. Many also feel alone in the process.
Several child protective agencies... Read More
Group Think — When parents are supported to participate, workers can make better decisions
Recently, I facilitated a Family Team Meeting with a mother who was going through tremendous stress. Her partner had recently died and she’d been diagnosed with a serious illness. She also suffered from anxiety and depression
Up until these crises... Read More
Case Control — Your rights in service planning
Parents who feel powerless during the service planning process often accept services, schedules and other demands placed on them by the child welfare system that they can’t do or don’t believe will be helpful because they aren’t informed or are... Read More
Truth Without Fear — When your child’s in care, honesty and dishonesty are both risky
Earlier this year, I sat down with a mother, her case planner and her CPS investigator. I was the supervisor on the case. The CPS worker began by stating that the mother was suffering from paranoia and because of that,... Read More
(Service) Planning For Your Future
Once a child is removed from home, service plans (or case plans) become a crucial part of a parent’s life. Whether parents complete services and change behaviors are the deciding factors in determining whether a child returns home.
Far too... Read More
Mommy Time — I had to change for my children’s sake
I was angry at the world when CPS took my daughters Melanie, 8 months, and Amaya, 1 week old. I’d always wanted to avoid my kids going into foster care because my brother and I were raised in care.
But it was... Read More
Life Support — After years of chaos, I’m moving forward with the right help
When my oldest daughter went into foster care five years ago, I was 20 and struggling. I’d signed myself out of foster care two years earlier and had been bouncing between youth shelters and my mom’s place.
I went into... Read More
Critical Planning — Good communication and the right services are key to reunification
For parents trying to reunify with their children, completing the service plan within the 15 months allowed by federal law can feel like an uphill battle, filled with demands, court dates, conferences and impossible expectations.
For parents struggling with trauma,... Read More
After Care — I wish my service plan had prepared me for reunification
After spending four years in foster care, my 7-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter were trial discharged to me in time for Christmas 2015.
The family shelter I was in with my 9-month-old baby wasn’t our idea of home, but my kids... Read More
Since 2012, Rise’s special project for young parents who grew up in foster care—called “My Story, My Life”—has trained more than 40 parents in their teens, 20s and early 30s to write and speak about their experiences and advocate... Read More
‘It’s up to all of us to stretch out our hands and lift families up’
Rise Senior Parent Leader Nancy Fortunato spoke at a rally Feb 22 against proposed state cuts to NYC family support services to prevent children from entering foster care:
We are here standing together with one voice to tell the governor... Read More
I’m Rising – How I turned my anger at the system into a passion for changing it
The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) got involved in my life in 2000 after I disciplined my son by spanking him with a belt. They said I was abusing him and took him away. I was also arrested.
Before... Read More
Seeking Closure — How to seal your child welfare case history
Reports of child abuse and neglect in New York State are made to the State Central Registry (SCR). If those reports are “indicated,” which means that the child welfare system believes it has evidence that the allegations are true,... Read More
Video for Frontline Staff: Tips for Supporting Parents in Supervised Visits
Bringing parents’ perspective on racial equity in child welfare
On September 27, 2017, Rise Senior Parent Leader Jeanette Vega spoke on a panel on advocacy at the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Washington DC convening of the Alliance for Racial Equity.
Drawing on Rise’s issue Facing Race... Read More
Training CASA Volunteers to Understand Parents’ Experiences
Rise collaborated with CASA-NY to bring parents’ perspective into its training for CASA volunteers. Through observation of their training, Rise recommended adjustments to training content and offered quotes and stories to include in training materials and as handouts. Rise... Read More
Rise Know Your Rights Training for Young Parents in Foster Care
In 2017, Rise educated dozens of young mothers who grew up in foster care in order to prevent children from being unnecessarily removed from home.
Through Know Your Rights presentations at Covenant House, the NYC child welfare agency, and... Read More
Apply Now: Parent Advocate Leadership Group
New Rise Parent Advocate Leadership Group: To provide input on new trainings for child welfare professionals citywide, Rise will be gathering input from parent advocates and from parents with recent cases.
We are seeking up to 10 life-experienced Parent Advocates... Read More
Rise Parent Leader Contributes to New York State Permanency Summit
ACS’s Deputy Commissioner of Family Permanency Services Julie Farber invited Rise Senior Parent Leader Jeanette Vega to participate in the 2017 New York State Permanency Summit on December 5 and 6 in Albany. The Summit, sponsored by the NYS... Read More
In Search of Security — When finding housing is a job in itself
Piazadora and her son
Six years ago I went into the New York City shelter system. For 11 months, I searched for apartments like crazy. I had few options. I had just come out of a psychiatric hospital. I... Read More
Broke and Alone — It wasn’t love that made me open the door to my daughter’s unstable father
When I was 23 and my doctor told me I was pregnant, I put my head down and burst out crying.
A piece of me felt grateful that God chose me to bring life into the world. But I also felt... Read More
No Room for Families — How the housing crisis contributes to kids entering foster care
Worrying about where your family will sleep while fearing the removal of your child is a burden that parents increasingly carry. In 2015, more than 200,000 families with children experienced homelessness in this country.
Here, Ruth White, Executive Director... Read More
When Ends Don’t Meet — Lack of affordable housing can affect the strongest families
When my son Remi was 2, he was taken from me for three years. I felt so much hate and fear.
When he returned home, I was ready to create a loving, stable environment for him. I wanted to know... Read More
Step-by-Step Financial Independence
Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) in Boston pairs low-income parents with professionals to support them in gaining the resources and skills needed to attain financial self-sufficiency. Nicki Ruiz de Luzuriaga, Associate Vice President of Capacity Building for EMPath, explains how... Read More
Promise of Partnership — New confidential resource centers for NYC families
This spring, NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services will open Family Enrichment Centers (FECs) in three neighborhoods with high child welfare involvement—Highbridge and Hunt’s Point in the Bronx and East New York, Brooklyn—run by Good Shepherd Services, Graham Windham, and... Read More
Safe Inside — I’m helping my son feel secure despite difficult conditions
Sara and her son
Last year I reunified with my son, Aaron, who spent his first two years in foster care. Aaron is now 4 years old with curly brown hair, brown eyes and a smile that makes... Read More
Trapped — I know what my son and I need but I can’t afford it
My son was two when I aged out of foster care. Soon I was going to college full time, working 40 hours a week and paying my own child care. Things were easier when I had the group home... Read More
The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) defines child neglect and abuse as: “Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm,... Read More
The Do’s and Don’ts of Parenting While Poor
Parents struggling to provide for their children are often surprised to learn that gaps in basic care such as inadequate food, clothing, and safe, stable housing can result in allegations of neglect and child removal.
Here, social worker Rick Barinbaum... Read More
‘Poor’ Parenting— When poverty is confused with neglect
For poor parents, life often feels like an avalanche of misfortunes that invites judgment, mistrust and even charges of neglect.
Here Daniel Hatcher, author of “The Poverty industry: The exploitation of America’s most Vulnerable Citizens”; Carlyn Hicks, director at mission... Read More
The Price of Parenting While Poor
For many parents living in poverty, the shame and powerlessness that come along with struggling to provide basic necessities for their kids are intensified by the reality that being poor increases their families’ risk of facing allegations of neglect.
In... Read More
Girl Gone — When life dealt me a hard blow, CPS took my daughter
On August 25, 2015, I experienced a parent’s worst nightmare. I arrived at my daughter’s bus stop to pick her up only to find out she was not on it. It’s a horrible feeling not knowing where your child... Read More
Nancy’s Story: Helping Parents Find Their Power
I never want another parent or child to feel like I did facing the child welfare system—alone and powerless.
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I was 5 years old when I was removed from my mother. My mother was at times loving, but God rest her... Read More
Sharkkarah’s Story: Getting the Monster Out
To me, the child welfare system is like the monster in the dark in my kids’ room. I have done everything I’ve had to do to get that monster out.
When I became a mother, I wanted to end my... Read More
National Book Award-winning author Andrew Solomon will speak at Rise’s annual benefit on October 19. Here he discusses his work, his own story and his connection to Rise.
Q: What do you see as the common theme across your work?
A: The... Read More
New Jezebel/Rise Series: ‘In One Day I Had Lost Everything That Mattered to Me’
Last fall, after the tragic death of Zymere Perkins, a child whose family was repeatedly investigated by the NYC child welfare system, many news outlets advanced a familiar narrative of monstrous parents and failing caseworkers — and suggested that... Read More
Annual Benefit Oct. 19: It’s Time to Rise
Please join Rise in celebrating parent voice in child welfare on Oct. 19 from 6:30-8:30pm at the New York Public Library.
Rise is thrilled to welcome National Book Award winner Andrew Solomon as our guest speaker. Andrew has called himself... Read More
Shared Grief: If my daughter could know me it would help her understand her own suffering
The day in court that they terminated my parental rights I asked my daughter if I could kiss her. She looked over to check if her foster mother would let her. Then she put her head down. I went... Read More
On Friday, the New York Times published a story highlighting the impact of ACS’s heightened scrutiny of parents in NYC’s poorest neighborhoods, the increased number of children now being removed from home, and the struggle families face repairing the damage when children enter foster care unnecessarily.
In the... Read More
Mothers know best— Rise and CWOP leaders named to a new foster care task force
Rise Senior Parent Leader Jeanette Vega and Child Welfare Organizing Project Program Director Joyce McMillan have been appointed to the new Foster Care Interagency Task Force created by a City Council bill passed in November 2016 to address the... Read More
A new bill would allow opioid-addicted parents to get help without losing their children
I started smoking crack in 1980 after I was hit by a drunk driver and became disabled. That was a real trauma for me.
After the accident, I was ashamed of my body. The damage to my hip caused me... Read More
June’s National Reunification Month celebrates the perseverance of parents reunifying with children from foster care — and the professionals who support them.
Below are interviews with four parents who recently reunified with their children or are on their way. They... Read More
Poverty and a series of bad decisions led to my daughter’s adoption
In 2005, I fell in love with a woman and moved across the country to be with her.
But when we arrived in California, she and I and her little girl, Casey, were cramped up living with friends. Eventually, we... Read More
How I reclaimed my son after reunification
As a parent advocate, I used to advise parents in my support group about the reality of what they would face once their children returned home from foster care. I’d tell them that kids often act out, or don’t... Read More
I froze. My head was pounding and I felt like that should have been my last day working in child welfare. I just wanted to go home and lock myself in my room.
I was in Bronx Family Court, being... Read More
Home for the Holidays: One mother’s reunification story
Five days before Christmas 2015, my two kids came home from foster care on trial discharge.
I was so ready for them to come back to me.
It was the first Christmas we’d spent together in two years, so it was... Read More
3 legal options to consider when facing termination of parental rights
If you’ve been off track in bringing your children home, you may feel that you’ve already lost. But it’s important to talk to your lawyer about exceptions to the Adoption and Safe Families Act that may allow you to... Read More
A new bill aims to preserve family bonds after TPR
A coalition of NYC lawyers and advocates has proposed a new bill, Preserving Family Bonds, which would give New York City family court judges the power to order contact between adopted children and their biological families after the termination... Read More
Mothers share post-adoption grief
The grief parents suffer when they lose children to foster care and adoption is “invisible and often goes unacknowledged,” explains Toronto-based social worker Kathleen Kenny and parent advocate Sheryl Jarvis, who run a 15-week support group for women who use... Read More
Parents working together after adoption
Once it’s clear that a child is going to be adopted, it can be extremely hard for biological and adoptive parents to maintain a relationship with each other. But without it, children can be forced to choose between two... Read More
KinGap – An alternative to adoption
Guardianship by family members—called KinGap in New York City—is an option instead of adoption. Here, Julie Farber, deputy commissioner of Family Permanency Services at NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services, explains KinGap:
The Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program, or KinGap, is designed... Read More
Adoption kept our family together
I will never forget the night I received a call from my daughter, frantic and crying, “They took my kids, Ma. I don’t know where they took them.”
“Who?” “ACS and the police.” My granddaughters were 14 months and 3 at the... Read More
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I was fighting tears at the last court date before I was taken off the case.
Ms. M, my client, stood and stated that she had neglected her child. The judged asked if she understood what was happening. With a... Read More
KinGap allows me to still be Mommy
My kids were removed six years ago when they were 7, 6 and 2. That was the worst day of my life.
The problems started when my youngest’s father went to jail. I guess I was not ready to be... Read More
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Thirteen years ago, China Darrington decided to give her infant son up for adoption rather than let him go into foster care. Today, Darrington provides recovery support services to parents in Ohio struggling with addiction and is a member... Read More
4 facts about post-adoption contact
Almost three years ago, I signed a “conditional surrender,” giving up parental rights of my oldest child, who was eventually adopted. The agreement stated that I would continue to be able to visit my daughter. The adoptive parent broke... Read More
Adoption – A difficult choice for teens
When I was 14 my father broke the worst news to me and my siblings. He told us he had one year to live.
Almost immediately after he told us, he placed my sister and me in foster care, where... Read More
Losing parental rights won’t stop me from fighting to be a dad
When my son Isaiah was born on January 3, 2007, I was unsure whether I was his father. Then I laid his small body against my chest with my head bowed down to his and felt an unmistakable bond.... Read More
Parenting from Prison – ‘How Long Will You Be Here?’
I first met my step-daughter, Tyler, when she was 8 years old. One of the first questions she asked of me was, “How long will you be here (in prison)?” My wife, sensing that I would answer truthfully, interjected... Read More
My daughter’s adoptive mother broke our visiting agreement
This is not about what’s easy to write. This is about what people need to know. This is a pain and suffering that never goes away. I really miss my little girl every single day. When I last saw... Read More
Rethinking adoption out of foster care
There was a time when all adoptions were closed, parents signed over their rights and rarely ever saw their children again. But time and research have shown that children who maintain connections to their biological families do better. While... Read More
My child was allowed to choose adoption at 9
In 2013, I placed my oldest daughter in foster care because I didn’t know how to help her. She was 6 when she started to say that she hated me and her siblings and didn’t want to live with... Read More
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Across the country, roughly 50,000 children are adopted from foster care each year. They are expected to detach from their families and start over with new ones. Their mothers and fathers, stripped of parental rights, are told to let... Read More
Rise Presents to Child Welfare Leaders: How are you informing, orienting and encouraging parents?
Rise Parent leader Jeanette Vega delivered an inspiring speech to directors of child welfare agencies at the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies’ (COFCCA) annual meeting. Jeanette focused on toxic stress and the role it plays in a... Read More
Noticing Trauma in Visits – How caseworkers can respond to signs of possible trauma
Interview by Nancy Fortunato, Jeanette Vega and Robbyne Wiley
Glenn Saxe, a developer of Trauma Systems Therapy and professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine, explains how caseworkers can respond to signs of possible trauma.
Q: How... Read More
Applying a Toxic Stress Lens to Frontline Practice with Parents
Rise Parent leader Jeanette Vega spoke to child welfare leadership at the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies’ (COFCCA) annual meeting about toxic stress and frontline practice with parents. Here’s the full transcript:
In the fall when I read Steve Cohen’s paper... Read More
Rise Parent Leaders Deliver Keynote Address to ABA Parent Attorney Conference
Rise parent leaders Nancy Fortunato and Jeanette Vega presented to 400 attorneys at the American Bar Association conference for parent attorneys on April 25. Here is the text of their speech:
Thank you for the opportunity to present about parents’... Read More
Parent Toolkits: Setting Parents Up for Success
VIDEO: Parent-to-Parent TIPS for Supervised Visits
Parents come to foster care agencies experiencing not only the trauma of losing their child but also the confusion of navigating a complex system. Parents must:
• Keep track of appointments at multiple agencies... Read More
Rise’s TIPS Approach to Supporting Parents in Supervised Visits
Rise’s TIPS handouts, videos and posters offer parents clear information and peer guidance to navigate their cases, and provide frontline foster care professionals with tools to strengthen communication and trust with parents.
Developed in partnership with parents and frontline staff at... Read More
Rise Visiting TIPS – Set of 4 Handouts
Rise’s TIPS handouts offer parents clear information and peer guidance to navigate their cases. Developed in partnership with parents and frontline staff at three NYC foster care agencies, this set of TIPS focuses on visits. Caseworkers and parent advocates... Read More
‘Like Falling Down a Rabbit Hole’ – New film Custody explores the world of family court
This Saturday, the film Custody by director James Lapine will air on Lifetime at 8pm EST. Starring Viola Davis, Hayden Panettiere and Catalina Sandino Moreno, the film explores the professional conflicts and personal dramas of a mother, a lawyer,... Read More
Act Now, Pay Later – When my son entered foster care, I couldn’t think, plan, or stay calm
Before my son entered foster care, I was working full time and going to school full time. I was known for multi-tasking. I never kept a calendar but I could make all appointments and never be late. I was... Read More
When Stress Is Toxic – Bringing the science of child development into child welfare
BY JEANETTE VEGA with Dominique Arrington and Sharkkarah Harrison
When children are removed from home, parents feel a level of grief and stress that can hardly be explained. Then they often face more stress, with things like losing a job... Read More
‘Custody’ Brings Family Court to the Big Screen
Rise hosted a screening of the film Custody, which was filmed in Manhattan Family Court and traced the shadow that a horrific case can cast across the entire system. Starring Viola Davis, Hayden Panettiere and Catalina Sandino Moreno, the film humanizes... Read More
Devastated — We couldn’t explain our infant’s fractures and he was taken for 17 months
Before child welfare came into my family’s life, my understanding of the court system was that truth is found by careful and dutiful dissection in the court room; evidence is paramount and lies are dissolved. However, I have come... Read More
Two Years Gone – A family came to the hospital asking for help. Once there, everything changed.
In March 2013, a poor Chinese immigrant mother in Brooklyn took her 9-month-old baby, Mathew, to the hospital because he’d had a seizure. She explained that he’d fallen trying to walk and hit his head, then had the seizure.... Read More
What You Should Know About Child Safety Conferences
In NYC, parents facing removal of their children are asked to attend a Child Safety Conference, where a decision is made whether or not a child will be placed in foster care. Many other jurisdictions hold similar conferences.
As a... Read More
Prepared for Parenting — After I gave birth, I had to prove I was a fit mother
After my eldest daughter, Anastacia, went into foster care at 2 years old, I gave birth to another daughter, Harmony, and then to a son, Jeremiah. After each birth, a Child Safety Conference was held to assess whether... Read More
‘My Goal Is to Give Parents Back Their Power’ – Stories by frontline staff
Caseworkers play such an important role in whether parents succeed in getting their children home from foster care. To build parents’ understanding of caseworkers and workers’ understanding of parents, Rise ran two writing groups for frontline staff at the... Read More
‘They Will Not Win’ — I had to overcome my hopelessness to fight the false allegations against me
When my youngest son was 7 weeks old, I noticed a peppermint-sized lump on the right side of his head. There was no bruising, only swelling. I called my mother, frantic. As an infant, my sister had had a... Read More
Your Rights During an Investigation—And How to Use Them
INTERVIEW BY RISE PARENT LEADERS
When you’re investigated by child protective services, you have to make decisions every step of the way. You have to decide what information to share, whether to enroll in services, and, if you wind up... Read More
We encourage you to check out our annual report to learn more about Rise’s publications, presentations and partnerships in 2016.
In the past year, Rise has deeply focused on frontline staff training and on advocacy.
In December, Rise parent leaders presented... Read More
Below are qualities in parents that have been shown to help keep children safe:
Resilience: Most simply, this means that when you hit tough times, you are able to bounce back and keep moving forward.
Social Connections: Research shows that it’s... Read More
My son was 2 when I aged out of foster care. Soon I was going to college full time, working 40 hours a week and paying my own child care. Things were easier when I had the group home... Read More
‘With the Support I’ve Gotten, I’ve Become a Stronger Mom’
All my life, I have been ashamed of my family. My father left me and my mother when I was 6 years old. The only memories I have of him were all negative.
My mother was no better. She left... Read More
This is a speech Jeanette gave at the Schuyler Center as part of a panel on innovations in child welfare reform.
Today I will talk to you about what’s needed in child welfare reform from a parent’s perspective. That is... Read More
Triggered – It’s hard to protect my daughter when I’m just learning to protect myself
In my family, chemical dependency and physical abuse were the tools we used to survive. That way of coping has been going strong in my family for decades. The result for my siblings and me was that we were... Read More
What I miss the most about my daughters, 6 and 7, is giving them a bath, drying them, watching them dance with their towels, lotioning them, and massaging their backs while they sing how good it feels. As they... Read More
Rise Is Hiring – Editor and Operations Director
Rise is hiring two full-time positions: an Editor and an Operations Director.
Editor: Rise’s writing process is the foundation of our work to bring parents’ knowledge and experiences into the child welfare system.The editor position includes: running writing workshops; conceptualizing... Read More
Out in Front — When my family was investigated, I was terrified but I took charge
It was August 2, 2010, 10:30 p.m. It was hot and my two children were dirty and sweaty from playing outside.
I was running their bath when the doorbell rang. My 10-year-old son ran to the door,... Read More
Bad Break — What to do when doctors accuse you of child abuse
When my daughter and her husband were accused of child abuse, we felt lost in darkness. But light came on social media from other families who shared advice and encouragement, while the attorneys and medical professionals who helped were... Read More
The Fear Stays With Me – Living my life right hasn’t made me feel safe from an investigation
It seems like I’ve been afraid of child protective services all of my life.
Growing up in the projects, we called CPS the “Parent Police,” and it was normal for the girls I knew to lose custody... Read More
Changing the Frame — How parents and investigators can focus on family strengths
INTERVIEW BY BEVANJAE KELLEY AND NANCY FORTUNATO
During a family crisis or investigation, it can be hard to believe you have strengths. Investigations, by their nature, make parents feel attacked and ashamed. But all parents have strengths, and being able... Read More
I have a friend who recently gave birth and struggles with simple things, like having enough money for Pampers or WIC lasting the month. Because I have worked as a parent advocate, I know about resources for low-income families.... Read More
Facing a child protective investigation, it can feel like the investigator has all the power and you have none. Knowing the investigation process can help you show your family’s strengths and find safe solutions. This issue offers guidance... Read More
Interview with Elizabeth McCarthy, CEO, and Jane Golden, Chief Program Officer at Sheltering Arms in New York City
Jane: For the past two years, our foster care staff have participated in writing groups led by Rise’s Editorial Director, Rachel Blustain.... Read More
Interview with Steve Cohen, Lisa Primus and Martha Raimon
Martha: The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) is a nonprofit designed to influence public policy that affects children and families, and to provide technical assistance to states and jurisdictions testing... Read More
Still “Mommy” – I’m signing over guardianship but I’m not giving up on my kids
I lost my kids 6 years ago. On April 8th 2008 I went to court for a removal of the kids. My kids were 7, 6 and 2. That was basically the worst day of my life.
When I first... Read More
Words, Not Fists – To get my daughter home, I had to change how I fight
I am 51 years old with four children—Adam, 31; Osman, 27; Julio, 17; and Samantha, 10. Samantha came home to me from foster care five months ago.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve struggled with depression and addiction.
My childhood... Read More
Interview with Erika Tullberg, NYU Child Study Center and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
I work at the NYU Child Study Center as part of a team focused on child trauma, and I’m also a co-chair of the National... Read More
Interview with David Nish, Associate Commissioner of Training and Workforce Development at NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services
ACS has a training academy for new staff, Satterwhite Academy, and a new Workforce Institute in partnership with CUNY’s School of Professional Studies,... Read More
‘Wait, There’s a Whole Story Here’ – How Rise’s writing group is helping an agency listen to parents
Interview with Jess Dannhauser, President and CEO
Graham Windham is a child welfare and youth development agency in New York City. A few years ago we sat down and talked about what we could do to further our support for... Read More
Video: Parents’ Experiences Working with Caseworkers
Advice from a Parent Advocate: Making your voice heard in case planning
Interview with Sherry Tomlinson, a parent leader in Columbus, Kansas
For more than 15 years, Sherry Tomlinson worked in the child welfare system. Then she lost her son to it. Today, she runs a recovery and jail ministry in Columbus,... Read More
Fall Benefit: Together We Rise, Oct. 25 6-8pm
Rise’s fall benefit, Together We Rise, will be October 25 from 6-8pm at 320 Park Ave.
Show your support through sponsorships and event journal ads from $250 to $5,000.
Rise raises one-quarter of its budget through individual giving.
Please join us... Read More
Advice from a Parent Advocate: Communicating With Your Caseworker
Interview with Toni Miner, Family Support Partner
When the child welfare system first came into Toni Miner’s life, she felt shamed and blamed and not supported. For many years, Miner hid her problems—and that led child welfare to come back... Read More
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... Read More
Rise Launches New TIPS for Parents in Crisis
Responding to feedback from recent focus groups with parents, Rise is launching a new publication and partnerships to ensure that, when children enter foster care, parents get the information they need to make choices in their cases.
Rise TIPS – a... Read More
As a parent, dealing with child welfare workers can be an emotional, unpredictable experience. Some workers judge you and others try to tell you what to do before they even know you.
Personally, I found it hard to be... Read More
When a foster care agency first receives a case, the agency is required to make contact with the family within 72 hours. During the first contacts, case planners are expected to establish a positive connection with parents. But making... Read More
Safe Inside – I’m helping my son feel secure despite difficult conditions
Last year I reunified with my son, Aaron, who spent his first two years in foster care. Aaron is now 4 years old with curly brown hair, brown eyes and a smile that makes everyone want to smile too.
Aaron’s... Read More
Time, Patience and Love – Despite fear, parents can get out of the system’s shadow
Jeanette delivered this speech at the NYC Administration for Children’s Services Reunification Month event “Better Together: A Celebration of Families” at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan on June 25, 2016, and the New Jersey Legal Services’ Family Reunification Day... Read More
Rise and Graham Windham Celebrate Parent Writing Workshop Graduates
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... Read More
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Children do better when their fathers are involved in raising them yet many fathers are less involved in their children’s lives than they want to be. Sometimes that’s because of conflict with their children’s mother. Other times it’s because fathers... Read More
Meeting Parents Where They Are – Accepting my own feelings helped me accept the parents I work with
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... Read More
Fixing the Front Line – A new approach to hiring and supporting caseworkers
Nine out of 10 foster care agencies nationwide say it’s tough to find and keep caseworkers that are qualified, and a recent study in New York City, 4 out of every 10 caseworkers left the job in the first... Read More
Signing Away My Son – I had to give up my rights because I’m incarcerated
I came to court that morning with my heart and my mind racing in time with one another. I was handcuffed as we traveled from the bowels of Bronx criminal court, arriving at a phone booth-sized room where I... Read More
Healing the Hate and Hurt – How I learned to control my anger so my son could come home
Feeling powerless can make you feel angry. Angry is how I felt the whole three years my son was in foster care—and how I acted.
Finally, a worker took me aside and was straight with me. She told me that... Read More
Iowa Parent Partners connect with Rise at their 2016 Summit
Iowa Parent Partners at their 2016 Summit with copies of Rise! This statewide organization provides peer mentoring to parents facing the child welfare system. Thank you Carly Shaw and Sara Persons for bringing Rise to Iowa!
Making a Connection – A moment of understanding changed my relationship with an angry father
This story is part of Rise’s series by frontline staff at foster care agencies about their experiences working with parents.
I had been working as a case planner for about a month when I met Mr. G.
Before he walked into my... Read More
Overwhelmed – High caseloads and paperwork make it harder to invest in human connections
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... Read More
Safe Enough to Grow – Both parents and workers need to feel supported and accepted
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... Read More
Caseworkers play such an important role in whether parents succeed in getting their children home from foster care.
When my son was in foster care, I had 5 or 6 caseworkers over the course of three years. Most of my... Read More
Rise Parent Leaders Present Reform Recommendations at CUNY Law Symposium on Family Court
Four parent leaders from Rise presented parents’ perspectives on facing New York City Family Courts at the CUNY Law School symposium “Reimagining Family Defense” on April 8. Drawing on interviews with dozens of parents with current child welfare cases and... Read More
When child protective services took my son Logan, I thought my life was over. Logan was 9 months old. I didn’t know anything about the foster care system.
After an emergency hearing, I got visits with him twice each week for... Read More
When I learned about a program called Visit Coaching, which is designed to help families have better quality visits, I decided to get trained to be a coach.
I know from experience how important visits are. My own son was... Read More
‘Keep a Sharp Eye Out for People Like Me’: Speech to child welfare investigators and attorneys
When I was 19, and my son was 2, I lost my son to the child welfare system for three years because I hit him with a belt.
I was raised that if you get out of line, you get... Read More
Alone in the System – Would my son have come home sooner if someone had taken the time to know me?
I was 19 when I was arrested for hitting my 2-year-old son with a belt.
What I did wasn’t right and it wasn’t how I usually treated my son. Usually I loved him to death and spoiled him rotten.... Read More
‘With Every Story I Write, I Learn More About What It Takes to Be Me’
My introduction to Rise was through the writing workshop at the Child Welfare Organizing Project. When I started, I was writing just to write. Then I found that writing was a way to gain insight into my life.
I... Read More
When child welfare systems are forced to cut their budgets, often it’s preventive services that are hardest hit. The belief is that familysupports are nice if the government can afford them, but it’s investigations that prevent child deaths. But... Read More
Home Safe Home – I’m looking for supportive housing for my son and me
Before my son came home from foster care, I lived in supportive housing for almost a year. My program helped me with practical things, like learning the NYC buses and trains. But the main thing they helped me... Read More
Safe and Loved – I began to heal when I stopped carrying the burden of sexual abuse in silence
I used to walk down the street looking at people. People looked back at me. I wanted to talk to someone, but my mom told me not to talk to strangers. But I am a person that likes... Read More
Family After Foster Care – I want my daughter to have the love and security I finally found
I met my child’s mother when I was 21 and she was 22. After I got the courage to ask her out, we caught that instant connection. I had grown up in foster care, and she had come from... Read More
The Moth Partners with Rise to Build Storytelling Skills and Confidence
In January, Rise partnered with The Moth on a workshop where 8 parents leaders learned to tell a story aloud – without notes!
The Moth workshop was part of our new public speaking training program, Rise & Shine, to support our... Read More
Trying Again – This time, I have the support to face my feelings
I first smoked crack on a cold winter day when I was 19. At the time I was feeling desperate. I’d heard that crack would make me feel no pain, and it did. What pulled me in was... Read More
Don’t Battle Alone – It’s important to show the court that you have people on your team
Kathleen Creamer, a parent attorney at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, explains how parents can strengthen their case by presenting the people in their lives in family court, as well as what parents can do if they don’t have... Read More
Rise Recommendations for Improving Parents’ Family Court Experience
Rise Manhattan Court Presentation Handout
My father was gone and my mother had died by the time I was 7. I was raised by relatives. My main caregiver was what you’d consider “old fashioned”—strict and not very affectionate. I felt insecure and always looked... Read More
Getting Connected – A peer support group keeps at-risk newborns and mothers together
Reporting by Dominique Arrington and Jeanette Vega
Dealing with child welfare can be a scary and shameful experience. Mothers who become pregnant when they already have children in foster care feel particularly vulnerable, because their babies are at high risk... Read More
Rise Releases 2015 Annual Report
Rise had an outstanding year in 2015! We celebrated our 10th anniversary–and doubled our budget. So many of you contributed to our success. Thank you.
Some highlights:
* Our parent leaders presented to 500 professionals in November, including Congressional staff, Bronx and... Read More
A Step in My Direction – I wanted to be left alone but kindness helped me find my way
My kids were taken into custody in 2007. I was using meth and selling also.
I never, ever wanted to hurt my kids. I thought I loved them with all my heart.
At the time,... Read More
Having no one to turn to makes parenting harder and increases the risk of child maltreatment. But until now, the federal government has mostly funded investigations and removals, without putting much money into supporting and strengthening families. Too often,... Read More
Many struggling parents feel very alone, and isolation can put parents and children in jeopardy.The shame of a child welfare case can shatter relationships even further.
In this issue, parents describe how people they trusted inside and outside the system... Read More
Rise Parent Leaders Meet With Congressional Staff About Preventive Family Supports
Rise parent leaders met with Congressional staff November 10 to educate them about the need to expand prevention so that children stay safe at home and out of foster care. At a lunch put together by Casey Family Programs... Read More
‘Helping Children Means Helping Parents.’
Two years ago, Rise’s director, Nora McCarthy, said to me, “Hey, we got invited to do a presentation at ACS (New York City’s child welfare agency) to some top professionals in child welfare. Let’s write something up.”
Whoah, I was... Read More
With Every Story We Rise: 10th Anniversary Event Journal
Rise’s 10th Anniversary Event Journal includes stories that trace our growing portrait of parents in the child welfare system.
Including quotes from noted journalists Andrew Solomon, Tracy Kidder, Rachel Aviv, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc and event host and Marie Claire editor-in-chief Anne... Read More
‘I Could Feel My Heart Not Hurt As Much’
I am a mother who was arrested for child abuse.
I am now 35 years old and I have learned so much along the way. But at 19, I lost my son to the child welfare system for three years... Read More
Recently I had a chance to read the report “Expectant & Parenting Youth in Foster Care: Addressing their developmental needs to promote healthy parent and child outcomes” by Charlyn Harper Browne at the Center for the Study of Social... Read More
From Enemy to Ally: Because my caseworker accepted me, I was able to believe in myself.
From ages 8 through 18, I was a foster child. I was in so many homes that I can’t remember them all. Some of my foster parents abused their authority. I didn’t know if my real parents... Read More
When I was 7 years old I would ride the bus to school with my grandmother. When she got off the bus to go to work, I’d ride the bus a few more stops, then walk the four blocks... Read More
“Many people assume that women who lose their children to foster care are not only challenged in meeting the demands of motherhood, but are also bad people: incompetent, selfish, and morally defective. Reading Rise is a tutorial in empathy, because what... Read More
With Every Story We Rise: Join Us Oct. 28 in Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary
Rise will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on Oct. 28, 6:30p.m.
Guest speakers: Anne Williams-Isom, CEO, Harlem Children’s Zone and Gladys Carrión, Commissioner, NYC Administration for Children’s Services.
Purchase your ticket now!
Learn more about Rise’s 10th Anniversary.
Enjoy cocktails, a spectacular view and inspiring stories... Read More
‘I Want to Feel Safe but I’m Scared’ – I’m searching for a therapist who can help me with PTSD.
I’ve been diagnosed with Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). When I was little, my mother hit and kicked me all the time. My step-dad abused me. I’ve been raped multiple times. The last time was in 2005. I’ve dealt... Read More
Laying the Past to Rest – Calming your body’s sensations can help to heal trauma.
Bessel Van Der Kolk, medical director of the Justice Treatment Institute’s Trauma Center in Massachusetts and renowned trauma treatment researcher and specialist, talks about ways to recover from trauma.
Q: Your recent book is called “The Body Keeps the Score.”... Read MoreRise 10th Anniversary Oct. 28: Tickets on Sale Now!
Celebrating 10 Years of Writing by Parents that Changes Minds and Lives:
Rise will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on Oct. 28, 6:30p.m.
Join us for cocktails, a spectacular view and inspiring stories at Poets House, 10 River Terrace in NYC.
Purchase your ticket... Read More
NY Times Motherlode Features Story by Rise Writer
The New York Times’ Motherlode blog published When Finding Housing Is a Job in Itself by Rise’s Piazadora Footman:
Six years ago I went into the New York City shelter system. For 11 months I searched for apartments like crazy. I had... Read More
Seven Foster Care Agency Staff Complete Stories in Rise’s First Writing Workshop for Profesionals
Caseworkers and supervisors at Sheltering Arms became the first foster care agency staff to complete a Rise writing workshop, developing stories that reflected on their work with parents. Stories explore how these professionals came to learn about, connect with... Read More
Awakening to Magic – In addition to services, times of joy, connection and wonder keep me going.
Magic really does exist. Magic is when you hear music that makes you laugh or cry; you feel it deep within your soul. Magic is also when you read a book that makes you feel like you can go... Read More
‘One Child Felt Like One Thousand’ – Better communication helped my son and me handle his ADHD.
What is ADHD? A few years ago I had no idea what that stood for (Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity) and had never heard of it. But I found out I had a beautiful little boy dealing with it.
Some... Read More
Breaking the Chain – Building a calm, safe home for my son.
Translated from Spanish.
When my son Dylan was 2, his father and I separated. I had to confront the reality that we weren’t coming together as parents, but instead were arguing and screaming at each other. At times he would... Read More
“Girl, you better stop crying,” my grandmother said. I was young. Holding tears back was hard. My throat closed up and my head began to spin.
My grandmother was a warrior. She was my soldier. When I was little, everything... Read More
Making It Safe to Ask for Help – How can child welfare support more and investigate less?
Over the past three years, Rise has worked with and interviewed more than 40 mothers who grew up in foster care. A common theme is our fear that if we reach out for assistance, our families will be hurt... Read More
Dreaming Again – Parenting Journey, therapy and writing are helping me believe in myself.
Being raised in foster care and my daughters ending up there used to seem like an unbreakable cycle. I had feelings of being stuck in the past. The abuse I encountered at home and in foster care left scars... Read More
When we grow up in care, we’re mandated to services. When we come back into the system as parents, it still feels like no one’s listening to what we think we need. Here, five foster care alum and parents—whose... Read More
On My Own Terms – I needed to feel safe and in control to face my past.
For the most part, my childhood is a blur, but I remember being about 7 and my uncle feeling on my backside when I was asleep. That’s when my hell began. At the time, I lived with my uncle... Read More
Protecting Your Privacy – How to work with your lawyer to keep therapy as confidential as possible.
When you’ve grown up in foster care and you return to the system as a parent, it often seems like the court knows your entire mental health history. Because your current therapist also reports to the court about your... Read More
Do No Harm – Trauma-focused courts address the roots of foster care placement.
Since 2010, the Chautauqua County Family Court in upstate New York has worked to become a “trauma-informed court.” Here, Judge Judith Claire and Aimee Neri, a licensed social worker who is the New York State Child Welfare Court Improvement... Read More
I was 4 when I went into my first foster home. My mother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and severe PTSD from abuse she suffered from her mother, who was an alcoholic. My father was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.... Read More
Fight and Flight – Will my family ever be safe from child welfare’s reach?
I became pregnant at 18. I was living in Champaign, Illinois, under state custody. I was a runaway from a transitional living placement and had met the man of my dreams.
We were in love and... Read More
When you grow up in foster care and have a child, your greatest hope is that you’ll get to be your child’s Mommy. Your greatest fear is that you’ll fail, and your child will feel the same pain you... Read More
Everything Felt Like Nothing – I ran from my feelings and I didn’t know how to stop.
When you spend too much time as a kid in survival mode—feeling like you have no one to rely on and blocking out the pain whatever ways you can—sometimes you don’t realize in time that you have to change.
Alone... Read MoreSince 2012, Rise has worked with or interviewed more than 40 mothers who grew up in foster care. Here, five New York City mothers share their perspectives on how child welfare can better partner with parents who grew up... Read More
Interview with Washington State Veteran Parents KIMBERLY MAYS, ALISE HEGLE, HEATHER CANTAMESSA, AMBROSIA EBERHARDT
Kimberly: All of us are parent leaders in Washington State. We’re “veteran parents”—parents who are veterans of the child welfare system. I got... Read More
Support Without Judgment – I didn’t want to get services from a system set up to judge me.
This past summer, another young mother in my foster home got child protective services called on her. That got me watched, too.
The first time it happened, it was 10 p.m. I was in bed asleep... Read More
Reducing the Risk – Mothers in foster care need to know what’s in their case file and address risks.
Many of us who grew up in foster care feel like the child welfare system is just waiting for us to mess up, and according to the American Bar Association’s Center for Children and the Law, 77% of lawyers... Read More
From Enemy to Ally – Because my caseworker accepted me, I was able to believe in myself.
From ages 8 through 18, I was a foster child. I was in so many homes that I can’t remember them all. Some of my foster parents abused their authority. I didn’t know if my real parents loved me.... Read More
Ambrosia Eberhardt, Danielle Goodwin and Heather Cantamessa are “Veteran Parents” with the Washington State Parent Advocate Network, a project of The Children’s Home Society. Here, they explain the importance of addressing shame in child welfare:
Q: Parent advocates and child... Read MoreI am 19 years old, married with two sons. I am surrounded by love and family. However it was not always like this for me.
I am a foster care alumni. I first went into care at 3 and exited... Read More
Mothering the Mother – How foster parents and staff can strengthen mother-child bonds.
The Ackerman Institute’s Center for the Developing Child and Family in New York has partnered with New York City Children’s Services to train foster parents and staff at mother-child residences, and is beginning trainings in Washington D.C. Here, Martha... Read More
Acknowledged – It helped me heal when child welfare officials said, ‘I’m sorry.’
When my oldest daughter was taken into foster care, I had to confess. I had to speak to people who thought the worst of me. I had to take responsibility for my actions even though I didn’t understand what... Read More
The Color of Hope: Race can affect whether parents get the support to overcome.
My child welfare story (Shrounda) began when I moved into a neighborhood high in drug use and poverty. I was an African-American woman in my mid-30s, married with two children. I was arrogant—I thought I could control my drug... Read More
Race to the Top – Paying attention to race in child welfare is a first step to system change.
This issue of Rise is dedicated to looking at why families of color have higher rates of investigations, higher rates of foster care placement, and longer stays in care than White families, even when White parents and parents of... Read More
Before I began an internship as a social work student at the Child Welfare Organizing Project in East Harlem, I had no idea what the words “child welfare system” even meant. I grew up in Westchester County, New York.... Read More
The Birth Parent National Network, coordinated by the Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds, connects parent leaders nationwide. Here, BPNN members Jeffrey Mays, parent partner at the Public Children Services Association of Ohio in Cleveland; Shrounda Selivanoff, parent advocate at... Read More
Brokering Change – Parents and community leaders are key in reducing Black children in foster care.
In Fresno, Calif., “parent partners” and “cultural brokers” specially trained to build connections between the child welfare system and the Black community have helped bring down the number of Black children in foster care. Here, Deputy Director for Child... Read More
Child welfare came into my life in 2000. At the time, I was married with three children, ages 14, 11 and a newborn. I was also an addict.
I used anything that got me high: glue, coke, heroin, valium. I... Read More
Order of Protection – Free legal services before removal can keep poor children safe at home.
As a parent advocate working in the child welfare system, I have seen cases where a little assistance in fixing housing repairs or helping a mother take out an order of protection could’ve kept a child safe. The problem... Read More
Judge William Thorne as told to Antoinette Robinson
Shortly after I started working as a tribal judge, one of my cases involved whether to remove children from their family. I didn’t know much about the child welfare system and I... Read More
The Courage to Tell Their Stories – In South Dakota, Native Americans organize for change.
In 2005, Native Americans in South Dakota reached out to human rights lawyers because more than 700 Native American children in South Dakota were taken from their families every year. Here, Chase Iron Eyes, South Dakota counsel... Read More
At the Table – Involving parent advocates before removal can help prevent unnecessary placements.
Around the country, a number of child welfare agencies are beginning to partner with communities to keep kids of color out of foster care. In 2007, NYC’s Administration for Children Services partnered with the parent advocacy organization Child Welfare... Read More
Visit Coaching: A Parent-to-Parent Guide
Visit Coaching is a service to support parents in making the most of visits with children in foster care. This parent-to-parent guide explains Visit Coaching through two stories by parents — a parent who benefited from coaching, and a... Read More
‘It Helps You Create That Special Bond’ – Two mothers explain how parent-child therapy helped them.
Kira Santana and Sara Werner are two mothers who have gone to parent-child therapy at the Albert Einstein Early Childhood Center’s Infant-Parent Project. Here they describe their experiences:
Sara: If you have the chance to come to this kind of... Read More
Where to Find Parent-Child Therapy
Bronx: Albert Einstein College of Medicine Early Childhood CenterChildren’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) at Einstein Provides relationship-based parent-child therapies for children under 5, working with many families in the child welfare system and with many families affected by trauma.... Read More
Starting Strong – Parent-child therapy helps parents and children build a lasting bond.
Wendie Klapper, director of the Parent-Infant Center at Mt. Sinai-St. Luke’s, explains how therapy can help parents and very young children build a stronger relationship. Strengthening that bond early on, she says, can benefit children throughout their lives.
Q: What... Read MoreSmall Steps – I want to give my kids the childhood I didn’t have.
I have always wanted to give my kids a good childhood, something that I didn’t have. On holidays or on their birthdays, I take them out to Toys R Us, Chuck E. Cheese, BBQ’s, or Times Square.... Read More
Trauma is an experience that makes you feel that your life—or a loved one’s life—is in danger and overwhelms your ability to cope. In recent years, child welfare systems around the country have been focusingon the role trauma plays... Read More
When my daughters were 4 and 2 years old, I began to feel so numb to my children. I grew up in foster care and have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. At the time, I felt... Read More
All parents feel overwhelmed sometimes when their children do normal things, like have temper tantrums or act demanding. But for parents who have experienced trauma, those difficult moments can remind us of painful childhood experiences when we felt terrified... Read More
Smoking Away the Pain – Can I face life without marijuana or will I fall apart?
For 25 years, I’ve been smoking marijuana to cope with a lifetime oftrauma.
When I was young, my family life had some order. My sister’s father and my mother had strict rules for us. We went... Read More
Too Close for Comfort – I was afraid to show my daughter all the love I really felt.
When my daughter was an infant I showed her a lot of love, but when she was 4, our lives changed in a terrible way, and I began to feel that hugging and kissing my daughter was wrong.
Child protective... Read More
When I was young, life with my mother was good. I used to love going to her job, playing and watching her work. We played little hand games like “thumb war” and “boom-boom clap-clap.” At day care, I didn’t... Read More
To Speak or Not to Speak – Weighing the pros and cons of revealing past trauma in court.
When parents are facing a child welfare case, they often keep silent about their past history of trauma. Sometimes parents’ past experiences are too painful to talk about. Other times parents fear that talking openly about experiences... Read More
When I started attending the Safe Mothers, Safe Children program at the ACS-NYU Children’s Trauma Institute, I felt like my past had completely destroyed me and my relationship with everyone.
As a child, I used to... Read More
Rebuilding Ourselves – After Iraq—and removal—I had to heal myself and my daughter.
I learned early on that black women are supposed to be “strong” and endure pain in silence. The three years I spent in the military and thefive-and-a-half months I spent stationed in Iraq taught me the same... Read More
In My Corner – My lawyer believed in me even when my family didn’t.
Most people I come in contact with have horrible stories about their lawyers. Not me. I had a good experience with my two lawyers, Charlyne Peay and Sharon Yoo. They were from the Urban Justice Center Mental... Read More
Coerced In Court – I wish I’d never let the court find me guilty of neglect.
Illustration by Erika Faye Burke
I was raised to have pride in who I am and stand up for what I believe. Standing up in court to admit that I neglected my children, I felt like everything I... Read More
The Person Behind the Petition – Getting the court to see beyond stereotypes.
When parents go to court, they often feel that their voices are not heard. They’re afraid of the power that the court has over them. They have to put all their trust in their lawyer, a person they may... Read More
Child welfare cases are heard in courts because parents and children have legal rights, and the role of lawyers and judges is to protect those rights. But in a typical court case, when one side wins, the other side... Read More
‘I Used to Be in Your Shoes’ – As a parent advocate, I help lawyers and parents connect.
Illustration by Karolina Zaniesienko
I am a parent advocate at the Center for Family Representation (CFR) in New York City. CFR provides parents in child welfare proceedings a lawyer, social worker, family advocate, and parent advocate to support... Read More
‘We’re Here for You’ – Support and straight talk helped me trust my lawyer and her team.
On my first day in family court after my son was placed in foster care, I walked up to my court-appointed attorney, introduced myself andasked, “How can you help me?” He just stared me up and down. In court,... Read More
Separate But Happy – I confused loneliness with love, but I recognized abuse.
Illustration by Asiah Ajibabi
When I met Rene, I don’t know what I saw in him because physically he wasn’t too handsome. I think it was his character, his aggressiveness, which later on was what made me leave.
I... Read More
‘Mommy’s Going Away for a While’ – I couldn’t change fast enough to bring my children home.
Illustration by Freddy Bruce
My son was 4 and my daughter was 2 when I decided to place them in foster care. At the time, I was living with an abusive man who terrified me. I had nowhere... Read More
To Bathe in Gold – I try to see the good in my son and in me.
My son is very bright and handsome. But instead of using all his gifts to shine, instead he slumps when he walks. He coasts in school. Hisgrades drop, then he studies a bit to catch up, then... Read More
‘What Can I Do?’ – As teens, my children needed me to try new ways to parent.
When my children first came home from foster care, life was different for all of us. I was clean and sober, thrown into a new apartment withthree little strangers. My children were 10 years, 5 years and two weeks... Read More
Illustration by YC
My son came home from two years in foster care a scared, angry and confused 6-year-old. I kept telling myself that his fear, anger and confusion would all go away when life was “normal” again,... Read More
Illustration by Melanie Leong
Arietta Slade, City University of New York professor of clinical psychology and co-director of Minding the Baby, a mother-infant program at the Yale Child Study Center, describes the impact that removal can have on... Read More
Illustration by Kingslee Gourrick
My daughter had some very serious problems when she started first grade. Kindergarten wasn’t too smooth, either, so on the first day of school this year I was encouraging her, saying, “This year is... Read More
Alive, Sober and Sorry – I want my children to know me but my family told them that I’m dead.
Illustration by Elizabeth Deegan
I was 9 years old when I started getting drunk. I would sit in my friend’s house in her brother’s room where the walls were black and the lights were black and everything glowed... Read More
Life After TPR – New laws give some families a second chance.
Illustration by Tamika Ono-Knight
Under federal law, parents typically have only 15 months to prove that they can safely reunify with their children. For parents struggling with addiction, that’s a short time to break the cycle of relapse... Read More
Letting My Sister Go – I’m afraid for my sister but I can’t help her.
Illustration by James Faber
My little sister Jasmin has put me through hell. My love for her will never change, but her addiction angers me and hurts me. I want to protect her but I also... Read More
Eat, Play, Love – Visits helped me become a good mother.
When my daughter was 18 months old, she was removed from home because my husband and I were using drugs. At our first visit, my husband and I were very anxious. I was scared that my daughter would forget... Read More
‘Your Actions Are Setting You Back’ – Losing my temper in visits hurt my case.
Jeanette with her oldest son, Remi, and Xavier and Zachary.
In 1999, my 2-year-old son Remi was removed because I hit him and my family called child welfare on me. I was only 17 years old when Remi... Read More
Standing in Your Child’s Shoes – How to meet your child’s needs during visits.
Illustration by Ogen Dolma
Visit Coaching supports parents in planning fun visits that help them bond with their children. Here Marty Beyer, who developed Visit Coaching, explains how parents can make the most of family time while their... Read More
Sick and Tired – I needed respite and support but instead I lost my son.
Three years ago I lost my son to foster care because I got too exhausted and overwhelmed to care for him.
My son, who is now 13, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD and was in and out of... Read More
Sick and Tired – I needed respite and support but instead I lost my son.
Read article here
All the Difference – My son’s new school has put him on the right path.
art by Terrence Taylor
This story is anonymous at the children’s request.
My son was all excited to start first grade. I hoped his transition from kindergarten would be easy. I worried because in nursery school he’d occasionally shown... Read More
Apart But Not Alone – My grandson has made progress in a facility that works closely with family.
photo by Rosa Perin
From the day my grandson Nathan made his arrival into this world, we felt that something was different. Nathan was a fussy baby. He didn’t like to be held or rocked. Getting him... Read More
From Rights to Reality: A blueprint for parent advocacy and family-centered child welfare reform
From Rights to Reality is designed to unite parents and parent advocacy around a common set of goals. It identifies 15 rights for parents affected by the child welfare system. Most parents do not yet have these rights in... Read More
Split in Two – Can I protect my daughter from the dark side of myself?
art by Skylar Kane Kraemer
When I started attending an outpatient drug treatment program in 2001, I had a lot of dreams about using crack. My dreams were so real to me. One night, I saw myself buy... Read More
Getting and Giving – I feel good helping someone else in need like me.
art by Rosa Perin
Ten years ago, I was a single mom of two children, 2 years and 11 months. I was in treatment for bipolar disorder but I was isolating myself, a warning sign of depression. My... Read More
A Way Out of No Way – My daughter and I keep trying to connect despite termination.
art by Carmen Caban
Fifteen years ago, when my youngest daughter, Destiny, was 3 and her sister Desiree was 7, my parental rights to them were terminated.
I just could not understand why. I had been addicted to drugs... Read More
School Choice – How to stay involved in your child’s education when your child is in foster care.
Art by Patricia Battles
Erika Palmer, a staff attorney at Advocates for Children in New York City, explains parents’ rights to stay involved in their children’s education while their children are in foster care. Advocates for Children’s special... Read More
‘She’s Still Your Mother’ – I am angry at my sister but my nieces need her love.
Eight years ago I became a foster mother to my two nieces, ages 10 and 5. My sister was on drugs and lost her daughters to foster care.
First the girls went to my mother, but my mother’s... Read More
Forever Family – My daughter’s foster mother is still part of our lives.
Illustration by Eric Green
In 1998 I was pregnant with my daughter when I was arrested for possession of crack cocaine. I was given a conditional release to go to a drug treatment program but for... Read More
Standing Up for My Son – I had to fight to get my son out of the system.
art by Rudá Tillet
I was only 15 when my girlfriend of six months came out pregnant. Soon I found out that she was playing me. I was young and didn’t know what to do, so I left... Read More
A Family Again – With support, my wife and I recovered from her addiction.
art by Thaynia Waldron
I took my wife to the hospital because she was having contractions. It was early for her to be in labor, so the doctor did all kinds of lab tests. When he came back... Read More
‘Can I Do This?’ – Support services helped me prepare for motherhood.
When I found out I was expecting, I didn’t feel like I was mentally ready to care for a baby. I had just aged out of foster care and was only beginning to learn how to handle life without... Read More
Do Over – Changing as a parent takes courage and practice.
art by Dayton Town
Most parents like me want their children to have an easy, decent life as far removed from what we ourselves experienced as possible. We want to be good parents, but sometimes it can be... Read More
‘You Can Turn This Around’ – I overcame my addiction to bring my daughter home.
art by Rise
In 1998 I was pregnant with my daughter when I was arrested for possession of crack cocaine. I was given a conditional release to go to a drug treatment program but for a long time... Read More
Raising My Voice for Parents Inside – Advocating to change a law’s impact on prisoners.
art by Rosa Perin
Story as told to Lynne Miller
When I was locked up, I left my son with family, but he was removed from their home because of neglect. It was two months before I found out where... Read More
Ayuda Para Toda la Familia – Las dificultades de aprendizaje nos afectan a todos.
Mi hijo Eric, de once años, tiene dificultad en el aprendizaje y se le hace difícil mantenerse enfocado y atento. Su discapacidad no sólo afecta sus estudios sino también a toda nuestra familia.
El largo viaje para averiguar el problema... Read More
Un Sólo Niño Me Parecía como Si Fuesen Miles – La terapia familiar ayudo a mi hijo con TDHD y a mi.
¿Que es TDHD (ADHD en Inglés)? Pocos años atrás, yo no tenia idea lo que significaba (Trastorno de Deficiencia en la Atención e Hiperactividad). Nunca lo había escuchado. Pero me di cuenta que mi pequeño niño estaba lidiando con... Read More
All parents need places where they feel safe and supported. Parents who grew up in foster care often want help but fear opening up about their struggles and don’t know where to safely find support.
In this second issue in... Read More
When you grow up in foster care and become a mother, your greatest hope is that you’ll get to be your child’s Mommy. Yet mothers who grew up in foster care are at high risk of having their own... Read More
Children of color—especially Black and Native American children—enter foster care at higher rates than White children and stay in care longer. Research in some places has found that, even when cases are similar, families of color are treated differently... Read More
10 cuentos escritos por madres Hispanas. Rise es una revista escrita por y para padres quienes han estado involucrados en el sistema de protección de niños. Nuestra mision es ayudar a los padres para que luchen por ellos y... Read More
If your children have been removed, the stories in this booklet will take you step-by-step through the process of reunifying with your children. FREE. Ideal to provide to parents at intake – through CPS, parent attorneys, or the court.... Read More
If you need help keeping your children safe or resolving family conflicts, the stories in this booklet will help you find the support you need and take steps to protect your children and yourself. FREE. Ideal to provide to... Read More
Healing Together: A Parent-Child Therapy Resource Guide
Most parents whose children enter foster care are required to take parenting classes. However, another kind of parenting program is parent-child therapy, where a parent and her infant or toddler play together with the support of a therapist. The... Read More
The Impact of Trauma on Parenting
Parents who have suffered trauma in their own childhoods want to give their children better lives, but the feelings of rage, shame, fear and hopelessness that so often come from trauma can get in the way.
In this issue, parents... Read More
When you enter the courtroom with a child welfare case, you can feel like it’s you against the world in the most important fight of your life.
In this issue, parents describe the impact of lawyers who believed in them... Read More
Witnessing violence harms children, and children often enter foster care because of violence at home. But facing and ending violence can be complicated.
In this issue, parents explore partner violence—the controlling patterns of batterers, the fights that flare up under... Read More
Raising Teens in Tough Neighborhoods
When children become teens, their peers become more important to them, and their schools and communities influence their choices. In neighborhoods marked by gangs, drugs, inadequate schools and heavy police presence, the teen years can be scary, especially for... Read More
The Long Shadow of Foster Care
When children come home from foster care, parents hope they can leave the trauma of separation behind them. But for many families, separation casts a shadow for years to come.
In this issue, parents describe the impact of removal long... Read More
When parents struggle with addiction, other family members can help keep children safe and keep parents and children connected. But addiction and the complications of kinship care also can strain families, sometimes to the breaking point.
In this issue, we... Read More
When children go into foster care, visits are a chance for families to maintain and strengthen the bonds they share. But visits can also bring out all the stress, sadness, and anger that families feel.
In this issue, parents show... Read More
Raising Children with Emotional or Behavioral Problems
Children who come to the attention of the child welfare system have very high rates of emotional and behavioral problems. Many families, especially those in isolated or poor communities, have trouble accessing effective supports.
Above all, families need service providers... Read More
Special Issue: From Rights to Reality
From Rights to Reality is designed to unite parents and parent advocacy around a common set of goals. It identifies 15 rights for parents affected by the child welfare system. Most parents do not yet have these rights in... Read More
Parents with mental illness face extraordinary obstacles to reuniting with children placed in foster care. State laws often give parents with mental illness less time to reunify, few family supports are designed to help these parents, and biases and... Read More
Facing Termination of Parental Rights
While the majority of children placed in foster care return home to family, many children do not. Federal law requires that child welfare agencies file in court to terminate parents’ rights if children have been in foster care for... Read More
Helping Your Children Succeed in School
Children who have been in foster care often face difficulties succeeding in school. Children may act out or have trouble learning due to fear or sadness. They can fall behind if they switch schools. And they are likely to... Read More
Building Relationships with Foster Parents
Positive relationships between parents and foster parents help children feel more secure while in foster care and adjust more easily after returning home.
In this issue, parents and foster parents explore the obstacles to positive relationships and the actions and... Read More
Children do better when their fathers are involved in raising them, yet child welfare systems have been slow to include fathers in family support services or case planning. It can be difficult for fathers with children in care to... Read More
Healing Ourselves For Our Children
Parents who were abused or neglected as children, or grew up in foster care, face challenges creating safe and stable family lives. But it is possible to heal from childhood trauma and become a stronger parent.
In this issue, parents... Read More
Incarcerated parents with children in foster care face many challenges staying connected. It can be difficult to access services, set up visits and reunite after release. Parents with sentences longer than 15 months are at risk of permanently losing... Read More
La Unión Hace la Fuerza – Mi esposo y yo nos apoyamos uno al otro.
Cuando yo tenía 18 años, vine a este país para vivir con mi hermano mayor, quien había llegado 6 meses antes. Yo quería estudiar y trabajar. Mis sueños eran ser secretaria, o incluso abogada, hablar ingles, y ser una... Read More
Rompiendo la Cadena – Construyendo un hogar tranquilo y seguro para mi hijo.
Cuando mi hijo Dylan cumplió casi dos años su padre y yo nos separamos. Tenía que enfrentar la realidad de que no nos acercábamos como padres, al contrario, nos gritábamos y discutíamos. El incluso me empujaba a veces o... Read More
Far From Home – I needed help that my family couldn’t give me.
Translated from Spanish.
Two years after my son was born, I decided I couldn’t continue my relationship with his father and we separated. I was sad and confused, but Rene and I were arguing all the time and I... Read More
Lejos de Casa – Necesitaba apoyo que mi familia no me podía dar.
arte por Lennox Haye
Read the English translation.
Dos años después que nació mi hijo, no pude seguir con mi relación como pareja con su padre y vino una separación definitiva. Fue muy difícil tomar una decisión así.... Read More
No More ‘Mother’s Helper’ – I want my daughter to have the childhood I couldn’t enjoy.
art by Freddy Bruce
Translated from Spanish.
All my life I watched my mother try to take care of her children emotionally and economically. It was not easy. My mother had 10 children (eight survived), and she and my... Read More
Se Acabó ‘La Ayudante de Mamá’ – Quiero que mi hija tenga la niñez que yo no pude gozar.
arte por Freddy Bruce
Read the English translation.
Toda mi vida observé a mi madre tratar de cuidar a sus niños emocional y económicamente. No fue fácil. Mi madre tuvo 10 niños (ocho sobrevivieron) y ella y mi papá... Read More
Lo Siento Mi Hijo – Cuando mi esposo y yo separamos, mi hijo necesitaba más de lo que le podía dar
Cuando mi segundo hijo Steven tenía 6 meses, me separé del papá de mis hijos. Entonces mi vida cambió totalmente. Tuve que cuidar a Steven y a su hermano mayor Stuart, de sólo dos años y seguir trabajando. Aquí... Read More
De Tal Astilla, Tal Palo – Aprendiendo de mi niñita a tener confianza.
Cuando tenía yo 6 anos, la misma edad que ahora tiene mi hija, mi mamá me dejó con mi abuelita. Me hizo tanta falta. Recuerdo que cuando llegaba la tarde yo me asomaba a la calle a ver si... Read More
La Educación Comienza en La Casa – Mis hijos necesitan apoyo para sobresalir en la escuela.
Cuando yo era pequeña mi mamá en México siempre estuvo al pendiente de mi educación. Trabajaba en una tienda que teníamos en la casa. Recuerdo que si teníamos algún problema en la escuela, mi mamá simplemente cerraba la tienda... Read More
‘Somos Poblanos’ – Conectando a mi hijo al país que dejé.
Desde que mi hijo era muy pequeño, tenía la ilusión de poder viajar a México con mi nueva familia. Quería que Jason conociera a sus abuelos y el lugar donde yo nací y viví hasta los 12 años.
Read More Luchando Para mi Hija – Tenía que aprender como enfrentar el sistema.
Read the English translation in Rise Issue #9: Immigration – Raising Children in a New Country.
El 14 de diciembre del 2001, yo ingresé a este país con una visa turista y decidí quedarme por problemas económicos y... Read More
Luchar Para Una Educación – Encontré una escuela mejor para mi hija
Read the English translation in Rise Issue #9: Immigration – Raising Children in a New Country.
Cuando mi primera hija entró a pre-kinder me di cuenta de lo importante que es que los padres nos involucremos en la... Read More
Justicia Para Todos – Los inmigrantes indocumentados SÍ tienen derechos de inquilino.
Read the English translation in Rise Issue #9: Immigration – Raising Children in a New Country.
Uno de los problemas que pasamos en este país por ser inmigrantes y por no tener la residencia, ni información sobre los... Read More
Immigrant Parents: Raising Children in a New Country
Immigrant parents who are investigated by the child welfare system often need extra help understanding their rights and getting proper services. They may not speak English, understand American laws or customs, or fear accessing services to keep their children... Read More
A Responsibility to Report – What to do if your child reveals sexual abuse.
art by Odessa Straub
Stacey Platt, the associate director of the Loyola Child Law Center in Chicago, explains how a parent whose child has been sexually abused can protect the child and protect the family from a child... Read More
art by Karolina Zaniesienko
When my daughter was 12, she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted. She went through the trauma of being raped and left to die. This had a devastating impact on her life and mine. She... Read More
While few children nationwide enter foster care solely because of sexual abuse, it affects many families that are involved in the child welfare system. When parents have been sexually abused themselves, it can be even more painful to confront... Read More
Growing Up Together – It’s hard to handle my son’s temper along with my own.
One day I went to the supermarket with my 3-year-old son, John, and he started screaming at the top of his lungs. I tried to remain calm. “John, do you really think that’s necessary? Do you even know... Read More
Babies bring great joy but also great stress to families, and many parents don’t realize how much support they’ll need to care for an infant or toddler. While many states now offer family support services, one-third of children who... Read More
‘There Is Another Way’ – Men in Colorado speak up to stop abuse.
art by Rudá Tillet
Six years ago, I got into an argument with my wife when she was pregnant. I wanted her to quit smoking, she wanted me to quit drinking. She told me, “My smoking doesn’t... Read More
The Company of Women – Support groups and art therapy help me heal.
In the village of my childhood in Transylvania, Romania, we had sezatori, gatherings of young women who would work together on their trousseaux during white snow winters. Girls gathered in candle-lit rooms and worked together, crocheting fine... Read More
Using Our Experiences to Make a Difference – Organizing for system change in New York City.
One night on my way home I saw a blue flyer with three questions that caught my eye. 1) Are your children in foster care? 2) Do you have a child welfare case? 3) Do you want... Read More
Parents as Partners – Workers and families learn from each other in 15 cities nationwide.
NATIONAL UPDATEFor the past 18 months, social worker Randy Jenkins and parent advocate Sandra Jimenez have been training birth parents to become advocates and supports for parents at child welfare agencies in 15 cities nationwide. Here, Jenkins explains how... Read More
Primeros Pasos – Tuve que aprender a conocer de nuevo a mi hija cuando regresó a casa.
Read the English translation.
Cuando mi hija Lydia tuvo 5 años, me hizo pasar momentos difíciles. Ella no quería lavarse los dientes o el pelo. No quería recoger sus juguetes. Tenía que gritarle por cosas pequeñas o decirle “¡Vete para tu... Read More
Baby Steps – I had to get to know my daughter again when she came home.
Translated from Spanish.
When my daughter, Lydia, 5, came home after two and a half years in foster care, it was so different from having her home only on the weekends. The best part was that we didn’t... Read More
On December 8, 2000, my 15-year-old son was discharged into my custody after spending a long time in a residential treatment center. I thought everything would be good. I had wanted him to come home for so long. But... Read More
A Safe Place to Connect – How therapy can help your family heal.
HELPING HANDAdrienne Williams-Myers, program director of Project Safe at the Northside Center for Child Development, explains how therapy can support reunifying families:
Q: How can therapy help families reconnect?A: When parents and kids are involved in the system, their... Read More
Making My Son Proud – I had to prove I could be trusted.
My son Louie has been a good kid ever since he was small. He rarely complained about anything. He was one of those toddlers that clings to the mother. Wherever I went he was there. Summers when I was... Read More
‘It’s OK to Need Support’ – I found the help I needed to fight for my dreams.
Q: How can therapy help families reconnect?A: When I started to come to the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, a preventive services agency, my main objective was to get help talking to my son’s father.
Since I was... Read More
What to Expect from Your Lawyer
When I first met my lawyer, she was just straightforward. She told me, “Stay with your rehab program, don’t use any drugs, don’t miss court or your visits,” and that was it. But as she saw that I was... Read More
A Knock on the Door – My family needed support, not separation.
About 7 p.m. there was a knock on the door. I was afraid I already knew who it was and that my family was in trouble.
The problems started when my son was 10 years old and his grandfather died.... Read More
Illustration by Martell Brown/YC
When I got pregnant in January, 1999, my husband told me I needed to stop smoking crack if I wanted this baby. Four months later, I finally stopped.
I’d had four children before Little Mama,... Read More
Rise covered in Fusion: “How the power of storytelling can change lives in child welfare cases”
Journalist Ada Calhoun covered Rise in Fusion, writing: “Nora McCarthy is a natural narrator. Even popping popcorn in a microwave down the hall from her modest office on Manhattan’s West 27th Street, the blond 40-year-old, wearing a white eyelet... Read More
One Step at a Time – How you can recover from your addiction.
Art by Emily Dinan
In November 1999, ACS sent me to Women Connect, an outpatient substance abuse treatment program affiliated with Lincoln Hospital to deal with my drinking problem. It turned out to be the beginning of... Read More
Naomi Weinstein, director of Phoenix House’s center on addiction in the family has been training substance abuse treatment providers to better understand child welfare issues. Here, in her own words, she explains how the training will help parents.
Read More Winning Him Back – My visits proved I was worth my son’s trust.
My baby’s father passed away when I was pregnant. After, I felt I had to block out everything I was feeling so I wouldn’t lose the baby. But I found out later that those feelings were still with me.
For... Read More
A Time to Bond – How to make the most of your visits
Jacqueline Israel, a former parent advocate whose children spent six years in foster care, explains how to make the most of your visits:
1. Bring Toys and GamesWhen you visit at the agency, the room just isn’t a home... Read More
Doing What It Takes – When My son went into care, I stepped up.
People say there are no real men with real fatherly love for their children, or that a father can’t have the same bond with his kid that a mother has. When I hear people saying that, I... Read More
Rise’s Rachel Blustain Reports on Federal Funding Reform in City Limits
In “Turnaround Looms in Federal Funding to Prevent Child Abuse” Rise’s Editorial Director Rachel Blustain reports on a bill to strengthen funding for preventive and aftercare services:
“On August 5, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon introduced legislation, The Family Stability... Read More
‘I Have Risen’ – A Poem and Video Dedicated to Rise
Rise’s Nicole Goodwin narrates a poem by Tahitia Foggie, with images of Rise writers Sonia Diaz, Piazadora Footman and Erica Harrigan-Orr and their families. Video by Todd Somodevilla and Melissa Silverman.
This informative new video from Legal Services of New Jersey can be used to educate policymakers, judges, lawyers, caseworkers and foster parents... Read More
“With Every Story I Write, I’m Learning What It Takes to Be Me”
My introduction to Rise was through the writing workshop at the Child Welfare Organizing Project. When I started, I was writing just to write. Then I found that writing was a way to gain insight into my life.
Read More “I Can Let Someone Know What’s Happened in My Life Without Being Judged or Blamed”
For over 20 years, I was isolated. I was afraid to speak about what I’d been through or how I felt. I didn’t think peoplewould listen. In the past I was blamed and judged.
When I did try... Read More
When my depression kicks in, I don’t bathe and I barely eat. I just stay in my bed and sob and be mad for reasons I don’t even know.
Last winter I was depressed for about two weeks... Read More
Seen and Heard – I was able to listen to my son when I felt heard
Most parents whose children enter foster care have to take parenting classes in order to get their children back. I went to two parentingclasses that didn’t help before I found a program that worked for me.
Read More
When parents go to court, we feel scared and alone. A project to make sure that babies return to family as often as possible is trying to change that. I interviewed Lucy Hudson, director of ZERO to... Read More
Afraid to Speak Up- I needed my lawyer to be my advocate
From the first day that the child welfare system came into my life, I felt confused, afraid to ask for help and alone, with no one to guide or support me. My case began five years ago.... Read More
Trial and Error- New models in many states are improving representation for parents
When New York City’s Children’s Services (ACS) took my children three years ago, I was refusing to comply with mental healthtreatment and was getting into violent fights with my husband. I needed a lot of help. But... Read More
‘Not Me, Not Ever’- Did my mother become the aggressor so she wouldn’t be the victim?
My mother grew up in South Carolina with about 11 siblings, maybe more. When I was a child, she’d tell me about her mother’s heartache; she had to bury four of her sons. But the stories that... Read More
Mission Impossible – CPS is helping to reconnect my son and me even though I lost my rights
Three years ago, my son was removed from my home because he had serious behavioral problems and I had become too sick and exhausted to care for him.
I raised my son on my own until he... Read More
In February, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that a positive drug test alone, with no other evidence of harm to a child, is not enough toprove that a child was abused or neglected. The court said... Read More
Sugar Daddy- I saw myself as a provider, not a dealer.
It was July 1997, on a hot, humid day. All the neighborhood children were outside. Teenagers were playing in the fire hydrant spray to cool off. Younger girls were jumping rope and boys were playing handball.... Read More
‘Don’t Forget Me, Mi Hija’- My daughter’s mother wants nothing to do with me.
When my girlfriend told me that she was pregnant, I believed that the baby she was carrying wasn’t mine. I didn’t have confidence in ourrelationship. Sometimes she didn’t pay attention to me. I would say to her, “Come... Read More
Benjamins, Blowouts and Breakups- What comes between poor fathers and their families?
In my five years of dealing with my daughter’s father, he only put his hands on me once. For three months he had been out of work. I noticed him becoming more snappy and less excited about... Read More
Fighting for Sanity- When I felt alone, hitting my husband made me feel alive.
I grew up experiencing many different kinds of abuse. When I was 12 I started taking medication to stabilize my emotions, but when I was 21and married with three children, I tried to stop taking them. Then... Read More
Peeling Back The Layers- Sometimes it’s hard to see the truth in domestic violence cases.
Friends to Fathers is a New York-based program that supports child welfare-affected fathers to become more accountable for their actionsand reunify with their families. My husband found support there when we were going through our child welfare... Read More
Separate but Happy- I confused loneliness with love, but I recognized abuse.
When I met Rene, I don’t know what I saw in him because physically he wasn’t too handsome. I think it was his character, his aggressiveness, which later on was what made me leave.
I met... Read More
Tanya McLeod knows what it’s like to be the victim of false and malicious child abuse reports. Soon after her husband went to jail forbreaking an order of protection, child welfare workers showed up at her door.... Read More
Out of Our League- We placed our son in the system to get him the treatment he needs.
When I was 10 years old, my mentally ill mother walked out on me and my four siblings. As I got older, I discovered that I had a unique gift:identification. Because I had suffered abandonment and childhood unrest,... Read More
A Risky Bet- Placing teens in foster care can do more harm than good.
When parents are at their wit’s end, they sometimes think child welfare can do a better job controlling their teens than they can. Priti Kataria,director of the ACT Project (Adolescents Confronting Transition) for older youth at Lawyers... Read More
Looking for a Mother Who Won’t Leave- My birth mom and my adoptive mom both gave up on me.
I was 2 years old when I got adopted, and 7 when my biological mom stopped visiting me with no explanation. Even though those changeshappened when I was so young, I think they’ve affected me to this day.
Read More
When children have been in foster care for more than 15 months, federal law requires in most cases that child welfare agencies file toterminate their parents’ rights and move the child as quickly as possible into a... Read More
Parents, Advocates, Allies- Our teens need us to be voices for change.
On Dec. 22, I saw my neighbor’s son being stopped and frisked by the police. In New York City, police stop and frisk hundreds of thousands of young men of color in poor communities. Of the 686,000... Read More
The Wrong Lessons- My son’s time upstate left him distrustful and angry.
My son’s problems started in high school. My son had always done well at small schools but he wound up in a school with more than 3,000kids. There were too many kids getting into trouble and the... Read More
Where the Heart Is- An NYC initiative will keep teens convicted of crimes close to home
New York City teens convicted of crimes have usually been sent to facilities upstate, far from their families. Now an initiative called Closeto Home will change that—these teens will receive services at home or go to city... Read More
Listening Past the Anger- Family therapy helped my children and me.
My story begins with my marriage, when I was 19. He was 36 andseemed older and wiser. My father was abusive, my mother had died, and I felt lost. But this man abused me. When he... Read More
Taking Back Our Teens- With support and practice, parents can regain authority in their families.
This spring, New York City’s Children’s Services (ACS) announced a new initiative to keep teens safe at home and out of foster care. The“Teen Preventive Initiative” will expand access to two intensive, short-term supports—Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) and... Read More
Devastated- I couldn’t keep my son from the streets.
When my youngest son, Charlie, was in nursery school, his teacher suggested that I put him in a gifted and talented school forkindergarten. She told me that the school I was going to enroll him in wasn’t... Read More
Families Rally to Raise the Age- Advocates press NY State to stop charging teens under 18 as adults.
At community forums organized by the New York Center for Juvenile Justice, parents are turning out to talk about a pressing issue affecting teenagers and their families: In New York, 16 and 17 year olds arecharged as... Read More
Doing Our Time- Ever since my son was locked up, I’ve been fighting for him and for change.
My son’s involvement with the juvenile justice system started withcigarettes. When he was 12 years old, Corey was suspended from school for smoking and having a lighter in his pocket. This suspension was the first of many,... Read More
A Part of the Solution- Involving parents to improve the juvenile justice system
This summer, Justice for Families (J4F), a national alliance of grassroots organizations working to change the juvenile justicesystem, published Families Unlocking Futures, a report by and about parents whose children are caught up in the juvenile justice... Read More
Community Representatives Help Parents Find Solutions
For the past year, I’ve been helping parents who are at risk of losing their children to foster care. My role is to attend Child SafetyConferences, meetings held by child protective services in New York City to... Read More
In 2007, the mother of two 10-year-old twins with significant disabilities went to New Jersey’s Division on DevelopmentalDisabilities for help. They told her they could not help her and suggested she bring her children to the emergency... Read More
Dreams, Fights, Dates and Games- Step-parenting challenged me to become a stronger mom.
Angel was a single father of two and I was a single mother of two whenwe found each other three years ago. Angel and I were soul mates. Bringing our four children together was another story. I... Read More
‘What Do You Need?’- Approaching parents as partners helps families out of crisis.
In many places, families who are investigated for child abuse or neglect face an unexpected and unwanted visit from a child protective worker who knocks on the door and announces that she will investigate the family. During... Read More
I was a ward of the state of New York from age one until I graduated from high school in 1993. The foster care system saved me because my parents were addicted to drugs and neglected my... Read More
Out in Front – When my family was investigated, I was terrified but I took charge
It was August 2nd, 2010, 10:30 p.m. It was 103 degrees and my two children were dirty and sweaty from playing outside. I was running thewater for their bath when the doorbell rang: “Bling-blang, bling-blang.” My 10-year-old... Read More
It Takes a Neighborhood- I’m working to break the cycle of foster care for my community.
In the 1980s and ’90s when I was a kid, they used to say the South Bronx was on fire, and growing up here was very hard. There were a lot
of gangs and people... Read More
When I came home from serving my country in Iraq, I also brought home a lot of war wounds inside of me. Over time, my symptoms ofpost-traumatic stress disorder grew harder and harder to handle, and made... Read More
No More Chances- After my last relapse, I couldn’t get my children back.
It is Wednesday, May 3rd, the day before my 21st birthday. I wake upfeeling sad. Something is telling me this is the day—the last morning I will spend with my kids.
It is a typical Florida... Read More
‘Maybe I’m Not Any Good’- Addiction can make it harder to leave an abusive relationship.
Domestic violence and addiction often go hand in hand. According tothe National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a 2002 Department of Justice report found that 1/3 of victims in domestic violence programs also had substance abuse problems and... Read More
Double Life – I was the perfect mother on the outside and an addict inside
What does addiction look like? In my life it looked like birthday parties, PTA involvement, regular pediatrician visits, church going, school attendance, and then Mommy’s boyfriend is abusive and Mommy is getting high some nights of the week—that’s what... Read More
Judgment Day- When my family was in crisis, I needed someone to help me think.
A year ago, New York City Children’s Services (ACS) asked my husband and me to come to their office with our children. At that point, myfamily already had been through a 60-day investigation. Now we had to... Read More
VIDEO: IN OUR OWN WORDS – Rise Magazine’s Impact on Parent Contributors and Readers
https://vimeo.com/32089590
In this video by Steve Pilgrim, Rise writers Robin Wiley, Bevanjae Kelley and Piazadora Footman describe the impact of Rise magazine.
‘Take Me Home Now’- My autistic nephew is less safe in his group home.
Child protective services in Denver took my sister’s 12-year-old autistic son from us a little over a year ago. It is terribly painful that our boy is away from us. He needs us and we need him.
Read More One Step at a Time- How you can recover from your addiction.
In November 1999, I went to Women Connect, an outpatient substance abuse treatment program affiliated with Lincoln Hospital, to deal with my drinking problem. It turned out to be the beginning of a new life for me.
Read More Building a Foundation- I’m giving my kids the love I never had.
When I was a little girl, my siblings and I went from group homes to foster homes, from one grandmother’s house to the othergrandmother’s house, due to our parents’ drug use.
Some people might think that,... Read More
Getting Through It- I didn’t like drug treatment but it worked.
My first day in recovery was Aug. 15, 2001. I will never forget it. Our daughter, who we call Little Mama, was already in foster care. Thatmorning, getting dressed, I tried to look normal. Then my husband... Read More
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At Rise, we have heard from a number of parents who told us that child protective workers had mistaken signs and symptoms of autism
in their children for abuse and neglect. Children with autism show... Read More
Guilty of Autism- Child Protective Services blamed me for my son’s condition.
I went through hell last summer because an angry neighbor called in a child abuse report on me after a neighborhood dispute. I was packing to move when Child Protective Services came. I was also taking care... Read More
Visit Hosts Help Families Reconnect
Last year, I signed up to be trained as a Visit Host, someone who can supervise family visits outside of foster care agency visit rooms. VisitHosting allows families the opportunity to do all the things that... Read More
On the Agenda- Parents’ message for New York City’s new child welfare commissioner.
On July 26, Administration for Children’s Services Commissioner John Mattingly announced that he was stepping down after seven years ofrunning the child welfare system in New York City. Queens judge Ronald Richter will become commissioner in September.
Read More Time for Bed- Putting my kids to bed on time was frustrating but worth it.
Until recently, my 4-year-old and 1-year-old had no schedule. They’d eat when they were hungry and sleep when they were tired. I’d cookdinner, but if they didn’t want to eat at 6 p.m., then they could... Read More
United We Stand- A newspaper by Chicago public housing residents helps reverse unpopular policies.
In 2010, the Chicago Housing Authority tried to require residents to turn over their kids’ report cards as a condition of tenancy, sayingthey were doing it to assess for “potential need for services.” Then in 2011,... Read More
Kinship Care Helped Me Stay Connected to My Son
Last April, my son was placed in foster care from his mother’s custody. Knowing how some foster parents can be, I worried that my son might be mistreated in the system. My son had been staying with... Read More
No Safe Haven- Could we find treatment for my grandson without placing him in foster care?
On the morning of June 14, 2009, my daughter, grandson and I headed north from our small town in Nebraska on the 90 mile trip to theBehavioral Health Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. My grandson, Nathan, had been... Read More
Presumed Guilty- I was treated like a criminal when my son fell and broke his leg
The bleeps of the monitors seemed to blare against the glare of the gleaming ivory floor as my husband and I wheeled our six-month-old son down the hospital hallway. I felt my guilt open up like a... Read More
Fighting Back When Hospitals Misdiagnose Child Abuse
In March, the Houston Chronicle published a story about a Texas judge who took the rare step of punishing a child welfare agency for rushing to remove children from home.
The case started in January... Read More
Straight Talk From My Parent Advocate Helped Me Trust My Lawyer
For a month after my first court date, I did not begin any of theservices, did not visit my son or go to court, and fell deeper into my addiction to crack cocaine. I felt hopeless. I... Read More
Child welfare leaders, frontline workers, parents and advocatesgathered in New York City on March 16 for a forum about the impact of the Parent Advocate Initiative, a two-year project to support six NYC foster care agencies in... Read More
As a Parent in Partnership, I Can Help
Five years ago, my sister told me that the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles was having a meeting for parents who had been through the system and reunified with their children. I was... Read More
Parents’ and Children’s Rights at Stake- What a case before the Supreme Court means for families
Chris Gottlieb, co-director of the Family Defense Clinic at the New York University School of Law, explains Camreta v. Greene, a caseheard by the Supreme Court in March:
The case Camreta v. Greene involves parents’ and... Read More
A Guide to Show Parents They Are Not Alone
About 10 years ago, I was going through a bad time in my marriage. One night when my husband abused me, I called the police and theytook my children and me to the hospital for an examination.
Read More Parent Leaders Helped My Family Get the Services We Need
My husband and I have three children, ages 12, 8 and 17 months. Our oldest has deafness and ADHD, our middle child has blindness andADHD with severe behavioral problems, and our toddler has asthma, is developmentally delayed and... Read More
I Was Scared of CPS, But the Workers Listened to Me
The day before my wife gave birth to our youngest child, I found out that she was using crystal meth. I was so shocked and hurt. But I realized that it made sense. My wife had become... Read More
Supporting Parents in My Community
I live in the Highbridge section of the South Bronx and my communityhas the largest number of children being placed into foster care in New York City. I know about the stresses that living in a community... Read More
Six years ago was the first time that I didn’t have to rush through the holidays with my daughter, who I call Little Mama. After three years in foster care, she was finally home to stay.
Read More
Locked Away From the World- Do I have the strength to trust others after years of isolating myself?
I’ve been depressed since I was a little girl. My mom abused me. She kicked me, banged my head on the wall. At times I lashed out and got hit for that. Mostly I was afraid to... Read More
Time to Come Home- I’ve recovered, but my girls are stuck in foster care.
I am a 35-year-old mother of two girls, 14 and 10 years old, who have
been paroled to my parents’ care since September 22, 2009. I can visit my children as often as I like... Read More
Like Family- I get help when I’m in crisis—so I can keep my daughters.
Last October my boyfriend and I had our small wedding ceremony at City Hall. We already had a baby girl, Emma, and I was close to delivering number two. My mother came to stay with us for... Read More
Faith, Prayer and Action- A country preacher helped me find my way.
In the summer of 1975, I found myself sitting in the back of a smallcountry church. The service was over and the people were making their way out. Everyone stopped to shake hands with the preacher. I... Read More
Broken Bonds- My children haven’t seen each other or me since I was locked up.
I’m locked up on an assault charge. I got seven flat. My boys were 9 and 10 and my daughter was 6 when I got arrested.
I can’t say much about my case, but... Read More
‘Where Are You?’- Being adopted left me with questions I can’t answer
I was adopted from foster care when I was 5 years old. I didn’tremember my birth family and didn’t know I was adopted until I was about 9. One day I was playing tag and running around... Read More
Powerless and Alone – How could I stay sober when I felt like my child would never come home?
One day last fall I went to an anger management class. It was in a neighborhood where I used to get high. It didn’t even go through my mind that this could be a trigger for me. I believed... Read More
Taking No Chances- I feared that my daughter would be taken from me if I stayed in foster care.
When I found out I was pregnant, I was 19 and living in foster care. I didn’t want my daughter to be born into the foster care system.
I myself went into care with my sister... Read More
As a parent advocate at a foster care agency, I work with parents to help them reunify with their children. In ten years of working with families, I’ve seen the positive and negative impact of ASFA.
Read More
Walks, Talks and Tears- I am trying new ways to get my anger under control.
I have been trying to find new ways to channel my anger. At times, I feel that I have my anger under control and other times I feel like I am going to lose control.
Typical... Read More
Hard to Handle- I needed help with my son, not separation.
I was only 17 when I became pregnant. It was not the happiest moment in my house when I announced my pregnancy. Everyone wished forabortion.
I was terrified of having a baby. But knowing that... Read More
Cut Off- My daughter and I miss her foster parents.
When I gave birth to my daughter, Lydia, one of the first people I called to tell was Tamara, who adopted two of my older sons from foster care.
Chubs and Little Hector ended up adopted... Read More
Back in Touch – I’m getting to know my son after 14 years apart
I felt extremely bad about myself as a parent when I came to prison. As a teenager I had really wanted a son. Once he was finally born, I wasarrested and handed a long sentence. Now, 14... Read More
A Second Chance- I’m learning how to handle my children without getting high.
When I was 12, drugs became my way to numb out all the ugly feelings I had inside from being molested and being ignored by my mother, who always put men ahead of her children. Eventually I... Read More
Bonded for Life – Family therapy helped my son and me years after he came home from foster care
Twelve years ago, when my son Caiseem was 5, he came home from foster care, where he had been since birth. Caiseem is the youngest of my four children. I’ve always felt a strong connection with each one... Read More
Like Daughter, Like Mother- Learning confidence from my daughter.
Translated from Spanish
When I was six years old, the same age that my daughter is now, my mother left me with my grandmother. Nearly every evening I would peek out in the street to see if my... Read More
Seeking a Safe Haven- Parents abandon teens under a Nebraska law passed to save babies.
In July, Nebraska instituted a “safe haven” law that allows parents to leave a child at a hospital without fear of prosecution. The law was intended to allow parents to safely abandon infants they could not take care of,... Read More
Education Starts at Home- My children need my support to succeed in school
Translated from Spanish
When I was growing up in Mexico, my mother always paid attention to my education. She worked in a store that we had in the house. If we had a problem in the... Read More
As a parent who has had children in foster care, the word “testifying”usually brings to my mind fearful situations where one’s future is in the hands of some powerful person, usually a judge. But when I was... Read More
Paying the Price- My daughter was adopted while I was in prison.
July 4, 2004 was one of the best days of my life. I was sitting in a cell in a prison in upstate New York, thinking about all the things I’d beenthrough in the past five years.... Read More
On August 8, 2003, my husband, Tom, was on the back porch of our home with Ryan, our 4 month-old-son, and Briana, our 18-month-old daughter. Tom was holding Ryan when he threw the diaper bag into the... Read More
‘You Will Pull Through’- I came out stronger as a parent after a painful split.
When I was growing up, I learned about different styles of parenting by comparing other parents to mine. When I became a babysitter as a teen, I saw that in some homes, things ran on schedule, with... Read More
‘Mommy, I Know You Try Hard’- I’m succeeding in college with my family’s support.
Last spring, I enrolled at LaGuardia Community College. For years Ihad wanted to prove to myself that I am smart enough to get a college degree. I never felt like I had the chance to finish school because... Read More
‘We’re Poblanos’- Connecting my son to the country I left behind.
Translated from Spanish
Ever since my son was little, I hoped to be able to travel to Mexico with my new family. I wanted Jason to know his grandparents and the place where I was born... Read More
Mind Games- Getting high felt like the only way to keep myself sane.
I rolled the meth pipe between my fingers and watched the smoke as it moved toward my lips. I looked around the bathroom I had secretlybeen getting high in despite my enormous eight-and-a-half month pregnant belly. My... Read More
Held Hostage Family- court delays have devastated my family.
Last September, at a parent meeting at the Child Welfare Organizing Project (CWOP), I stood and spoke about my son Jacob, who is an infant in foster care. CWOP is an advocacy group for birth parents in... Read More
Help for the Whole Family- My son’s learning disability affects us all.
Translated from Spanish
My son Eric, who is 11, has a learning disability that makes it hard for him to stay focused and attentive. His disability affects not only hisschoolwork but also our whole family.
Our family’s... Read More
Identity Crisis- Could I believe in myself when life let me down?
The first time in my life that I really felt like belonged somewhere was when I got hired to be a parent advocate at the Seamen’s Society forChildren and Families. Seamen’s was the agency responsible for my... Read More
‘It Won’t Happen Again’- I regained my faith in myself and my children’s trust in me.
I’d like to share my story. It’s not easy for me because I hold my privacy to me like a shield. I fear that I will be judged. But what I’m telling is from my heart.
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Building a Bond – How to strengthen your connection to your baby
art by Amir Soliman
My son was taken from me straight from the hospital because he was born positive tox. At first, I saw him weekly with my older daughter, who was 7. I would whisper in his... Read More
Home to Say Goodbye- I had to visit my sick father in Mexico despite the risk.
Translated from Spanish.
Catalino Rivera was my father. He wore a sombrero and a mustacheand he was a country man. He was strong and very strict, but also had a happy character.
My father and I were always... Read More
‘What Next?’- I love my son, but his mental illness scares us all.
I gave birth to my son William, my third child, when I was 22 years old. I had placed myfirst two children in foster care because I was dealing with an abusive boyfriend and we had nowhere safe to... Read More
Shock and Awe- My daughter’s first year was so hard for me.
One day I was Me, and the next I was Mom-Me. First came all the pain and all thescreaming (my own), and then a tiny human being was placed on my chest.
When I held my daughter, I... Read More
‘I Hated for the Night to Come’- I thought I’d lose my mind when my kids were in care.
After my kids were taken, I felt so empty inside. Food didn’t seem to have taste. And I hated for the nights to come. The nights felt the worst. I didn’t know if my kids were safe and... Read More
Dreams for My Daughter- I’m trying my best to parent from prison.
Being a parent is probably the most difficult job in the world. You’re almost always secondguessing yourself, wondering if you’re doing this and that right. Being a parent in prison is even more confusing. You rarely get to... Read More
‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’- I’m better off alone than with someone who hurts me.
When I was little, I loved to watch my mom around the house: the way she folded our clothes with her gentle hands, the way her hair smelled when she was next to me. It was asmell... Read More
Breaking a Painful Pattern- My children won’t grow up silenced and afraid
On Aug. 4, 1997, I got my sons back after they’d been in foster care and I’d been out on thestreets for many years. I felt that God had given me a second chance in life to... Read More
Not a Baby Anymore- My daughter’s tantrums were a sign that I needed to let her grow up.
My daughter, Lydia, had some very serious problems when she started the second grade. School was never too smooth for her, so on the first day this year I was encouraging her, saying, “This year is a new... Read More
‘Love Isn’t Written in a Court Order’- Helping the system remember the strength of family bonds.
In September I traveled with my 23-year-old son to speak at “Families for Life: Addressing the Needs of Older Children and Youth in Foster Care,” a conference convened by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. James and I were... Read More
‘No One Knew My Mother’s Story’ – Judging parents won’t help break the cycle
This story is reprinted from Represent, a magazine by and for youth in foster care.
For nine years I was always in and out of the system because my mother was heavily addicted to drugs. She would follow the orders... Read More
‘You Can Do This’- Creating a booklet to help Massachusetts parents in crisis.
About 10 years ago, I was going through a bad time in my marriage and it came to the point that I just couldn’t take it anymore. One night when my husband abused me I called the police and... Read More
‘I Am Your Voice’- Working from inside the system to support parents.
When I applied to become a parent advocate at a foster agency in New York City, I feared I wasn’t ready. I was on public assistance and had never held a 9-to-5 job. But I knew that parents dealing... Read More
Taking It Slow – I have farther to go before my daughter comes home
I had always thought I was a good mother even though I used drugs. I gave my daughter, Barbie, food, clothes and a home. I gave her love, too, by holding her and kissing her and playing with... Read More
Willing to Listen – My preventive worker was a real blessing
On March 25, 2004, after my daughter had been in care for three years, the judge released her to her father and me on a trial discharge. That meant that we’d be supervised by a preventive services agency for... Read More
In rehab, everyone would intro- duce themselves like, “I’m so- and-so and I’m an addict,” but I didn’t believe I was an alcoholic, so I would say, “I’m Rosita,” and that would be that.
Then one day the director of my... Read More
A Second Chance- My mom’s addiction hurt me, but we’ve found a way to be close.
When I was little I would sit in my room and wonder why my life was not like other children’s. I would see kids with their parents, doing things that my mother would not do with me, like going... Read More
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I tried many times to remove crack from my life. It was hard, very hard, because it was all around. My sister got high. My neighbors got high. Yes, I lived in the projects. With all 21 floors, I... Read More
Crack was a mind shattering experience. All my problems went away. It was like a jolt, a sensation that was unbelievable. It took me on a cloud and made real life disappear. It only lasted for about five minutes,... Read More
On the Case – Parents’ rights and responsibilities seeking drug treatment
Jessica Marcus, a staff attorney in the Family Law Unit at South Brooklyn Legal Services, explains the rights and responsibilities of parents seeking drug treatment.
Q: Will my kids be put in foster care if I tell someone I need... Read More
A Way Out- Getting arrested saved my life
One morning I woke up dope sick. I needed a bag of heroin. I said to myself, “I’m not just going to lie here sick.” So I got up and went to a dope dealer I knew and told... Read More
Tough Questions Brought Us Closer
In the months before I got my sons home from foster care, I built a bond with my boys. I picked them up every other weekend and always had some- thing planned for us to do as a family.... Read More
My mother and I used to fight so much that she put me in a group home. My mom would come and visit once every two weeks. During the visits, sometimes we would fight. We’d fuss about my behavior... Read More
Getting the Visits You Need- Your rights to visiting and staying in touch with your children.
• Your visits should be unsupervised unless the agency has a reason to supervise the visits. Visits should only be supervised if necessary to protect your child, to prevent your child’s court testimony from being influenced, or if a court... Read More
Visits: Staying Connected While Your Child Is In Care
Rise’s very first issue is about staying connected to your children while they’re in foster care. It hurts to be able to spend only a few hours each week with your children. Saying goodbye is always tough. In their... Read More
Pieces Missing – I got over my addiction but my family hasn’t recovered
One night I met a man who treated me so nice. He was light skinned, with beautiful brown eyes, and he always called me beautiful. All my life I’d felt ugly because I have dark skin and got teased... Read More