Bill of Rights for Parents Investigated by the Child Welfare System

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Rise, an organization that works with parents to write and share their experiences with the child welfare system, has created a Bill of Rights for parents.  They also have a pamphlet called "From Rights to Reality: A plan for parent advocacy and family-centered child welfare reform."  You can get a copy of the pdf HERE.

Tough Love Screening with Q&A to Follow

The Parental Defense Alliance of Utah is pleased to be sponsoring a screening of Tough Love from Emmy-nomiated filmmaker Stephanie Wang-Breal about two parents navigating the red tape of America's child welfare system as they fight to regain custody of their children.

WHERE:  The Gateway Megaplex

WHEN: Friday, June 5, 2015 from 1:00pm to 3:30pm

COST: FREE! 

(However you must register for tickets)

Following the screening the filmaker and one of the judges from the film will take questions from the audience.

For more information about the film visit www.toughlovefilm.com.

2.5 hours of CLE pending.

SHORT SYNOPSIS OF FILM

Offering a rare look at the inner workings of the American child welfare system, Tough Love chronicles the lives of two parents—one in Seattle and one in New York City—as each fights to be reunited with children taken out of their custody. Through intimate, verité footage of both families, we witness first-hand the complex and daunting bureaucracy of America’s family courts. Moreover, we come to understand the powerful role poverty and prejudice play in keeping parents and children apart— and the challenges parents must overcome in order to put their families back together.

Resources for Parents With Trauma Histories

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has fantastic resources for children who experience trauma and recognizes that parents involved in the child welfare system have also likely experienced their own trauma.  Check out their webpage dedicated to Birth Parents with Trauma Histories and the Child Welfare System.

The following is an introduction to one of their pamphlets, Birth parents with trauma histories and the child welfare system: A guide for judges and attorneys (link available below):

Judges and attorneys who work in the child welfare system are well aware that many of the children in the system have experienced trauma; less well recognized is that the birth parents of these children often have their own histories of childhood and adult trauma. For example, research indicates that 30-60% of maltreated children have caretakers who have experienced domestic violence themselves. Past or present experiences of trauma can affect a parent’s confidence and ability to keep children safe, work effectively with child welfare staff, and respond to the requirements of the courts. Fortunately, trauma-informed services are increasingly available for both parents and children who need them. Trauma-informed services include mental health services offered by trained professionals that address specific reactions to traumatic events. By recognizing the potential impact of trauma on parenting, judges and attorneys can more easily connect parents with those services.   

If you are looking for additional resources for parents who experience trauma.  Below are some of the pamphlets available:

For Parents
For Child Welfare Staff
For Judges and Attorneys
For Mental Health Professionals
For Resource Parents
For Court-Based Child Advocates and Guardian ad Litem

VIDEO: I Hope My Judge Sees the Good In Me - Experiences of Parents with Infants in Foster Care

Rise Infant Parent from Planning and Cooperation on Vimeo.


Above is a video produced by Rise Magazine which is a resource for parents and by parents with children in the child welfare system.  The video was also produced in partnership with the Center for the Study of Social Policy and the Harvard Center on the Developing Child.  It is intended to sensitize child welfare staff, lawyers, judges and policymakers on the experience of parents with infants in foster care.