The Children’s Bureau, part of the federal Administration for Children and Families, featured Rise’s Winter 2015 issue on young mothers who grew up in foster care in its newsletter, Children’s Bureau Express. CBX wrote:

In the winter 2015 issue of Rise magazine, mothers who were raised in foster care describe their experiences in care and their desire to build stable families. The young mothers share their fears regarding having their own children removed and placed in foster care, and they emphasize the importance of making sure the voices of mothers raised in foster care are heard. This issue also presents recommendations on how the child welfare system can improve its response to and support of mothers who were raised in care, as well as a discussion of mothers’ legal rights.

The article, “Fight and Flight,” summaries one mother’s involvement with child welfare, her struggles to maintain a stable family life as a young mother, the pain of having her two sons placed in care, and the subsequent joyful reunification with one of them.

Another article, “A Responsibility to Support,” shares an interview with several professionals within the child welfare field in which they discuss the importance of improving how child welfare systems respond to mothers who grew up in care. Susan Notkin, associate director at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, shared some strategies for improving services for pregnant and parenting youth in foster care. Amelia Franck Meyer, CEO of Anu Family Services in Minnesota and Wisconsin, asked “When moms don’t get the support they need to heal, what makes us think we won’t be in the same spot when that child becomes a parent? We know more than ever how to break that cycle. We just have to start doing it.”