Posts By: Rise

Rise Staff Learn to Deepen Our Restorative Justice Practice

November 19, 2020 by

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Rise staff recently participated in a Restorative Justice and Circle Keeper training led by Ashley Ellis, Co-founder and Lead Trainer of the B.R.E.A.T.H.E Collective. The 3-day Introduction to Restorative Justice and Circle Keeping prepared Rise’s Participatory Action Research (PAR) team to facilitate peacemaking circles with other impacted parents in their community. Parents learned the fundamental elements of circles including ritual, storytelling, creating safe space, establishing shared values, building relationships and trust and consensus decision-making. The training focused on the … Read More

The Problems with “The Tool We Have”

November 19, 2020 by

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Throughout our 2019 series Surveillance Isn’t Safety, Rise described how over-reporting, investigations and monitoring by child protective services (CPS) harm families and weaken communities impacted by systemic racism and under-investment. Struggling families face investigations by punitive child welfare agencies with the power to take their children — but not the ability to address societal inequities at the root of so many family challenges.

Here, Kelley Fong explains her research finding that often professionals make reports to CPS to “rehabilitate” families. In most cases, the children are not in danger, but mandated reporters turn to CPS to provide resources or to pressure families to behave in ways they feel are appropriate. She also discusses research about better ways to support families without coercion and threat.

Healing-Centered Schools: A community-led approach to creating safe and healing school environments

November 19, 2020 by

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Rise has been exploring abolition and how community-led approaches can support safe, thriving families and communities, free from child welfare involvement. Rise has also reported that when families need support, schools frequently report parents’ to the state child abuse and neglect hotline, and the harm this causes to families. Nationally, 90% of school-based calls are later deemed “unsubstantiated.”

The Bronx Healing-Centered Schools Working Group has developed a community-led model and process to shift the culture of schools in the Bronx to focus on healing. The working group collaboratively created a Community Roadmap to Bring Healing-Centered Schools to the Bronx.

Here, three members of the working group, Rasheedah Harris, Katrina Feldkamp and Nelson Mar, discuss the vision for healing-centered schools and how this approach will benefit families and keep students safe — without overreporting to CPS or policing in schools. Rasheedah Harris is a Parent Leader and leads the working group’s outreach efforts. Katrina Feldkamp is a Staff Attorney at Bronx Legal Services. Nelson Mar is Senior Staff Attorney at Bronx Legal Services.

Child Support

November 18, 2020 by

Early Intervention Services can help your baby grow.

As babies grow, they develop new abilities to move, speak and relate emotionally. At each age, there are “developmental milestones”—typical behaviors or abilities that you’ll want to watch for in your children. For example, at 3 months old, babies should be able to make fists with both hands, lift their head and chest, and turn their head toward sounds, bright colors and light.

If your child isn’t meeting … Read More

‘Your History Is Not Destiny’

November 18, 2020 by

Most parents who were abused do not harm their kids.

Although people often talk about “breaking the cycle of abuse,” studies show that most parents who were physically abused as children do not grow up to physically abuse their children, says Katherine Pears, a research scientist at the Oregon Social Learning Center. Here she explains the research on abuse and parenting:

That’s a notion in people’s heads that if you haven’t had a good model of … Read More

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