Every year in the United States, only half of the number of children who enter the child welfare system are reunified with family. The goal of foster care is for families to be reunited after the necessary steps have been taken to ensure the well-being of the household.
In desperation last spring, Robin Barquest called the school asking if there was anything that might help her daughter. There was, she was told – a program called Intercept.
In 2023, Theresa began seeking support for her 8-year-old granddaughter, Victoria. Her family was under a lot of stress from financial hardship, physical health problems and emotional and behavioral aggression from Victoria. She knew they needed additional support, but wanted to make sure she and her husband remained the primary caregivers for Victoria.
At the beginning of their journey with Youth Villages, Donna felt she had reached the very end of the road and didn’t know what else to do. “I was on I-85 and thinking to myself, I could end it all right now,” Donna said.
When the Department of Children and Families introduced Kallie and her children, 6-year-old Josiah and 1-year-old Jazmine, to the Intercept program.
Tennessee has been ranked 40th in the nation for access to mental health care, according to Mental Health America. One state-funded program is working to expand access for Tennessee’s youngest patients by meeting them where they are.
Blake struggled with anger for most of his childhood, and as he got older, he became more physical. He attended weekly therapy, but it didn’t have much of an impact on his ability to cope.
Stable housing can make – or break – a family. Due to the state of their single mom’s home, 10 children were at risk of being removed and experiencing the trauma that comes with it.
For a long time, Stacy was worried her 12-year-old son, Jay, would be removed from her home. Despite Jay being very social, active among his peer group and good at engaging with other kids his age, he was often physically aggressive at home, struggled with substance use, general delinquency and was destroying items in his home.
Creativity is important. Simply engaging in creative activities can boost your mental health and a new survey from APA finds about 46% of Americans use creative activities to relieve stress or anxiety, such as playing the piano, crocheting a blanket, dancing with friends or solving crossword puzzles.