Mental Health

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 three years, life was pretty uneventful for my son and me. We went to the park to feed the squirrels. We watched Sesame Street and Barney together. He would help me make dinner and we’d eat … Read More

Mental Health

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 Games

When you visit at the agency, the room just isn’t a home environment. Bring games, coloring books, toys, crayons, and books to read to your child. You can even play soft music and bring a visiting blanket to play on the floor. If you’re not sure what the … Read More

Mental Health

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 tell them this story about my son and me, and the best and worst days of my life.

The best day of my life was when I was 21 years old and I found out that … Read More

Advocacy

How does child welfare funding work? – Understanding the Family Stability and Kinship Care Act

If you’re a parent reading Rise, chances are you’ve been affected by the child welfare system. But do you know how child welfare gets funded, or how that funding affects you as a parent?

Right now a new bill before Congress could dramatically change the way child welfare is funded, and make a lot more money available for preventive services. As parents affected by the child-welfare system, it’s important to understand how … Read More

Advocacy

Hearing from Families – Parents testify in Congress about preventive supports

On Aug. 4, the executive director of the Child Welfare Organizing Project, Sandra Killett, a parent activist in New York City and mother whose son was placed in foster care, and Rosalina Burton, an intern with FosterClub and a former foster youth from California, testified before the Senate Finance Committee about a bill, The Family Stability and Kinship Care Act, that would increase federal funding for preventive services. (Click here to watch their … Read More

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