Rise Parent leader Jeanette Vega spoke to child welfare leadership at the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies’ (COFCCA) annual meeting about toxic stress and frontline practice with parents. Here’s the full transcript:
In the fall when I read Steve Cohen’s paper I was shocked and amazed to think that there was a name— toxic stress— for what I was going through when my son went into foster care.
Life Before My Case
Before my son entered foster care, I … Read More
VIDEO: Parent-to-Parent TIPS for Supervised Visits
Parents come to foster care agencies experiencing not only the trauma of losing their child but also the confusion of navigating a complex system. Parents must:
• Keep track of appointments at multiple agencies and in court;
• Understand the roles and expectations of professionals in their case;
• Believe they can meet these expectations.
Research shows that stress affects our ability to think and plan. Giving parents information both verbally and in writing … Read More
Rise’s TIPS handouts, videos and posters offer parents clear information and peer guidance to navigate their cases, and provide frontline foster care professionals with tools to strengthen communication and trust with parents.
Developed in partnership with parents and frontline staff at three NYC foster care agencies–Graham Windham, JCCA and Sheltering Arms–our first set of TIPS focuses on visits. Rise has trained caseworkers, visit coaches and parents advocates to use the TIPS to orient parents when their children enter … Read More
Before my son entered foster care, I was working full time and going to school full time. I was known for multi-tasking. I never kept a calendar but I could make all appointments and never be late. I was on it. But once child welfare got involved in my life, things went sideways real fast.
After I lost my son, it was like I lost control over my body and mind. I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t … 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
