Rise reports on the child welfare system with a goal of highlighting efforts to improve policies and practice and spotlighting effective practices.
The Rise Advisory Board is thrilled to announce that we have appointed Jeanette Vega as Executive Director of Rise. Over the past several months, the Advisory Board has worked closely with Jeanette as she served as Acting Director to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Her passion, ability to engage with multiple stakeholders, and visionary leadership in lifting up the voices of impacted parents is unparalleled, and we know she will effectively lead Rise to … Read More
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.
I was fighting tears at the last court date before I was taken off the case.
Ms. M, my client, stood and stated that she had neglected her child. The judged asked if she understood what was happening. With a smile, Ms. M said, “Yes.” But I felt quite sure she didn’t.
I think Ms. M believed that making the admission meant she was not going to lose her parental rights. But for over two years, Ms. … Read More
BY JEANETTE VEGA with Dominique Arrington and Sharkkarah Harrison
When children are removed from home, parents feel a level of grief and stress that can hardly be explained. Then they often face more stress, with things like losing a job because of mandated services, losing housing and juggling multiple services.
When our bodies feel too much pressure and threat, stress can put us in an “act now, think later” mentality that makes it even harder to … Read More
As a parent, dealing with child welfare workers can be an emotional, unpredictable experience. Some workers judge you and others try to tell you what to do before they even know you.
Personally, I found it hard to be open when the worker investigating me was trying to poke holes in all my answers to her questions. I was lucky that I got past the investigation and that my preventive worker was totally different and … Read More
