Grandparents stepping up to raise grandchildren, Raise the Future supports them
In the last few years, Raise the Future has expanded its family support services to include kinship care. Kinship care is when a family member takes in a child who would otherwise be in foster care.
"We're seeing a lot more grandparents in kin because of drug influence in their adult children," said Cathy Howe, manager of the family navigation program at Raise the Future.
The family navigation program pairs adoptive families with a coach who walks along side them to de-escalate crisis situations, to work on tools for handling trauma behaviors, and to give the family some much needed relief.
"I've worked with a grandma who's granddaughter broke her hand. I've worked with a grandma who's granddaughter broke her hip," Howe told CBS News Colorado.
Family members do not go through the same classes that foster parents take to get certified, so in many cases they are unprepared for the behaviors that happen in children who've experienced trauma.
"Financially, it's a challenge. Emotionally, it's a challenge. Physically it's a challenge. There are so many more challenges for these families," Howe explained.
Historically, there have been hardly any supports for these families. Now, Raise the Future is making its trust-based relational interventions training available to them, as well as, that one-on-one coaching that helps get the family out of crisis-mode.
"It's our heart to be able to help equip them to be stable, to help them have this wonderful home with their grandchild," Howe said.
Pam accessed Raise the Future's services when her granddaughter Nollia was acting out.
"Unless you know what's going on, you don't know how to handle all of that," Pam explained.
Pam was newly retired, ready to take some time for herself, when she got the call that her granddaughter needed her. She's among a legion of grandparents who are being called back into service
"If we didn't she wouldn't have made it. She wouldn't be here," Pam said.
"I put her through a lot," Nollia acknowledged.
Pam adopted Nollia, after her biological parents could no longer take care of her. Nollie suffered the side effects of abuse and neglect.
"It wasn't a good environment for me and she took me out of it," Nollia said.
Even though she was grateful for her grandmother's intervention, Nollia still had trouble trusting and feeling safe. The key was that Pam never gave up. She kept working at the relationship until Nollia could accept the love.
"She's got me. She's loved me for as long as I can remember, and she's proven that not all people are bad people," Nollia told CBS News Colorado.
Link: Donate to Raise the Future
Raise the Future worked with Pam and Nollia for two-and-a-half years. Pam still can text her coach when she needs a little extra support.
CBS News Colorado is supporting Raise the Future during A Day for Wednesday's Child, a full day of awareness and fundraising for the organization. A Day for Wednesday's Child is Wednesday, April 12. Mekialaya White will be hosting the day from 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.