e Vega Brown and Bianca Shaw were recently featured on After the Kids Move In, a weekly radio show produced by the Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York.
While moving toward our vision, Rise works to ensure that parents involved in the system right now have the support of a trained, life-experienced Parent Advocate. During the last program year, Rise trained two cohorts of Parent Advocates hired to work at New York City foster and preventive agencies, graduating a total of 12 Parent Advocates. Rise also hosted online support circles for graduates to continue to engage in peer support and build their resource networks.
As Rise moves into our second year of organizing, we are reflecting on our successes and developing plans for next steps in advocating for our Parents’ Platform. This year, we joined the efforts of a variety of organizations that have been leading the movement for affordable and accessible child care and equitable pay for child care providers. Rise brought the perspective of parents impacted by ACS into the movement for universal child care, recognizing lack of child care as a family policing issue and a driver of “neglect” allegations. We are excited about all we accomplished together in community during this program year.
Read our FAQ to learn more about Rise’s Parent Advocate Training Program (formerly known as CORE).
Parents need resources to support LGBTQ children and youth in being affirmed, safe and celebrated in their homes, schools and communities. In our report, An Unavoidable System, Rise recommends expanding access to community-based programs that center the needs of families with LGBTQ children—without family policing system involvement.
Here, Rise talks with Caitlin Ryan, Director of the Family Acceptance Project based in San Francisco, California and Angela Weeks, Director of the National SOGIE Center at University of Maryland School of Social Work’s Institute for Innovation and Implementation. They discuss their new national website, the need to center parents and families in caring for LGBTQ youth, the impact of family accepting and rejecting behaviors on LGBTQ youth, examples of affirming behaviors by parents and how community-led resources can prevent family policing system involvement.
