Rise contracts with organizations to: run writing groups; use Rise stories to educate and support parents; include Rise stories and parent-led presentations in staff training; and provide meaningful parent input on child welfare practice and policy.
The Center for Family Representation, which represents parents in child welfare proceedings, hosted a Rise writing workshop for young parents who themselves grew up in foster care. Completed by four young parents, the workshop met weekly for 16 weeks, culminating in a presentation of their stories by two participants. This workshop was supported by the Pinkerton Foundation. Stories from this workshop include:
Family After Foster Care: I want my daughter to have the love and security … Read More
Sheltering Arms partnered with Rise in 2015-16 to run two writing workshops for foster care agency staff. Stories focused on the steps staff have taken to work effectively and establish positive relationships with parents. After the first writing group in spring 2015, staff shared their stories with Sheltering Arms senior leadership, and two participants read their stories at a Sheltering Arms board meeting. Rise published the first installment in Spring 2016, along with parent-written articles about working … Read More
When Rise first came out in 2005, I was the Commissioner for the NYC Administration for Children’s Services and I ordered 1,000 copies for the agency. I wanted to make sure that as many of our staff as possible began to be aware of—or grew even more aware of—parents’ perspectives on the work that they do.
Rise helped deepen and broaden my understanding of the experiences of parents in the child welfare system. It broadened my … Read More
One night I was searching the internet for help. My son was about to be released to me from foster care. I never had someone to talk to or to advocate for me while I was dealing with the foster care system. I finally came across Rise magazine at 4 in the morning.
It felt good to know that there were other people going through what I went through. A mother who loses her kids … Read More
I run a nonprofit law firm, Dependency Legal Services, that represents parents and children in child welfare cases in six Northern California counties. I first came across Rise at the American Bar Association conference for parent attorneys.
In a variety of ways, Rise is the right tool for the job.
One thing we are all learning about child welfare is that one of the biggest problems parents deal with is isolation. When I have a … Read More
