Please join Rise in celebrating parent voice in child welfare on Oct. 19 from 6:30-8:30pm at the New York Public Library.
Rise is thrilled to welcome National Book Award winner Andrew Solomon as our guest speaker. Andrew has called himself “a student of adversity” who studies how we forge meaning and build identity. In The Noonday Demon, he examined depression. In Far From the Tree, he explored how parents cope with serious challenges, particularly by seeking out peers … Read More
On Friday, the New York Times published a story highlighting the impact of ACS’s heightened scrutiny of parents in NYC’s poorest neighborhoods, the increased number of children now being removed from home, and the struggle families face repairing the damage when children enter foster care unnecessarily.
In the first quarter of 2017, requests for removals were up 40% over the same time last year, the Times reported. Many children are returned within days or weeks; nationwide, nearly 10% of children are removed from home for 30 days … Read More
June’s National Reunification Month celebrates the perseverance of parents reunifying with children from foster care — and the professionals who support them.
Below are interviews with four parents who recently reunified with their children or are on their way. They were represented by lawyers, social workers and parent advocates at Brooklyn Defender Services — legal teams they said they cried with and shared their joy with, too.
Photos are courtesy of the Self Portrait Project, a citywide initiative … Read More
If you’ve been off track in bringing your children home, you may feel that you’ve already lost. But it’s important to talk to your lawyer about exceptions to the Adoption and Safe Families Act that may allow you to continue working toward reunification. Each state has different rules. Below are some New York state exceptions you should talk to your lawyer about.
Termination of parental rights is not always mandatory:
Agencies can decide not to change the … Read More
Once it’s clear that a child is going to be adopted, it can be extremely hard for biological and adoptive parents to maintain a relationship with each other. But without it, children can be forced to choose between two families.
Sarah Gerstenzang, an adoptive parent, and co-founder of the Adoption Foster Care Therapist Network says there are steps both sides can take.
•Adoptive parents can speak to a therapist with the child about what kind of relationship … Read More
