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 wasn’t calling me names, he was out in the streets getting drunk and having affairs. When my son and my daughter were still small, I had had enough. I let go of my anchor and sent … Read More
News And Events
Taking Back Our Teens- With support and practice, parents can regain authority in their families.
November 09, 2012 by
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 Family Functional Therapy (FFT). Both focus on supporting the whole family and have been proven to help families of teens during a crisis.
Here, Sara Hemmeter, NYC Children’s Services Associate Commissioner of Family and … Read More
Devastated- I couldn’t keep my son from the streets.
October 09, 2012 by
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 challenging, warning me, “When he reaches the 3rd or 4th grade, he’s going to get in trouble. The work is going to be too easy.”
But at that time I was a caretaker for children … Read More
Families Rally to Raise the Age- Advocates press NY State to stop charging teens under 18 as adults.
October 09, 2012 by
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 adults for all crimes. Most other states set the “age of criminal responsibility” at 18; only New York and North Carolina set it at 16.
Michael Corriero, executive director of the New York Center for … Read More
Doing Our Time- Ever since my son was locked up, I’ve been fighting for him and for change.
October 09, 2012 by
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, all related to smoking. I repeatedly asked the school for help and was repeatedly told they had no help to give.
Near the end of that school year, Corey had his first involvement with police. … Read More