art by Rudá Tillet
Six years ago, I got into an argument with my wife when she was pregnant. I wanted her to quit smoking, she wanted me to quit drinking. She told me, “My smoking doesn’t affect our relationship as much as your drinking.”
Things got out of hand and she called 911. I was mandated to go to a domestic violence batterers class, drug and alcohol abuse groups, and parenting classes. I … Read More
NATIONAL UPDATE
For the past 18 months, social worker Randy Jenkins and parent advocate Sandra Jimenez have been training birth parents to become advocates and supports for parents at child welfare agencies in 15 cities nationwide. Here, Jenkins explains how their work begins with conversations to help agency staff and birth parents learn from each other:
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is interested in changing the way the child welfare system engages with parents. When the … Read More
When I first met my lawyer, she was just straightforward. She told me, “Stay with your rehab program, don’t use any drugs, don’t miss court or your visits,” and that was it. But as she saw that I was working to get my daughter home, she began to fight for me. She asked that I be granted weekend visits and told the judge, “I trust my client.”
The day the judge announced that my daughter could … Read More
Journalist Ada Calhoun covered Rise in Fusion, writing: “Nora McCarthy is a natural narrator. Even popping popcorn in a microwave down the hall from her modest office on Manhattan’s West 27th Street, the blond 40-year-old, wearing a white eyelet shirt, light pants and blue sandals, is preternaturally calm and methodical: “Huh, that was just three pops. I’m going to reset the timer… This bowl isn’t quite big enough… Hmm, how about this one? Okay, that … Read More
In “Turnaround Looms in Federal Funding to Prevent Child Abuse” Rise’s Editorial Director Rachel Blustain reports on a bill to strengthen funding for preventive and aftercare services:
“On August 5, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon introduced legislation, The Family Stability and Kinship Care Act, that if passed would for the first time uncap federal funding for the kinds of preventive services that helped that mother keep her youngest child out of foster care. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, … Read More
