Investing in Reunification: In New York City, fewer than one-third of families reunify within one year of separation. Nationwide, only half of children ever return home. To support parents facing the trauma, stress, isolation and despair of family separation, Rise collaborated with dozens of parents, attorneys and frontline foster care staff to create informational handouts and videos for parents. Rise trains parent advocates, frontline staff and attorneys across NYC to share them with parents.

• Visiting TIPS handouts and videos: Focus on parents’ rights, coping with trauma and creating routines to meet children’s needs.
• Service Planning TIPS handouts: Guidance on managing shame and stress, replacing survival skills with coping skills, and self-advocating and negotiating for what your family needs.
• Reunification Collaborative: Rise is partnering with CSSP and 6 foster care agencies for two years to develop practices to orient and support parents in the first 90 days after a child enters foster care.