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 acting extremely aggressive for 36 hours. He threw chairs across the room, punched the computer screen, and kicked and hit family members.
Nathan, who has been diagnosed with Bipolar, ADD and ODD, and also has … Read More
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 gash and I hid my tears from my son.
Earlier that day I had pushed my son in his stroller to our Queensbridge apartment building and then tried to pull the stroller up the stairs. … Read More
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 when Darcy and Tye Miller brought one of their newborn twins to the Texas Children’s Hospital with bronchitis. The baby’s X-ray showed healing rib fractures that the parents could not explain. The hospital asked the parents … Read More
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 believed that I could trust no one to help me.
A friend convinced me to visit my son and stop feeling sorry for myself. After I saw my son, I went to the next court … 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 hiring and training eight parent advocates. Parents whose own children were once in foster care now work at 22 of the private foster care agencies in New York City, as well as the city’s child welfare … Read More
