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Days 3-5 of Asher's Journey

Saturday thru Monday, December 10-12

OVER THE WEEKEND

DAY 3 - SATURDAY MORNING

Mom and Asher stayed the night with the family friend and safety service provider.


Asher could hear Mom on the on the phone with Dad who sounded angry.


She was assuring him that everything was ok, that they just needed to do what DHS says and it will all go away.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

DAY 4 - SUNDAY

DAY 4 - SUNDAY CONSIDERATIONS

In our story, Mom is a protective parent and is able to do what she needs to stay with Asher.


Domestic Violence is incredibly complicated and many victims are not able to break free. Even when they are hurting, they may defend the abuser or choose to stay. In those situations, a safety plan might not be possible. If a safety plan is not possible, Asher might be taken into substitute care and placed with a Resource Parent (Foster).


Children of all races and ethnicities are equally likely to be abused or neglected; but children from minority groups, particularly African American children, are more likely to be removed and remain in substitute care than white children. For more information on racial disproportionality please see the links below.


The Amani Center and our partners work to address these disparities with the hope of preventing this issue from impacting the children and families in our community.


Reference Links:

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/racial_disproportionality.pdf

https://www.aecf.org/resources/african-american-children-in-foster-care#summary

DAY 5 - MONDAY

MONDAY MORNING

In the morning Mom speaks with Kimmy. She provides additional information including Asher’s school information, medical history and life history.


During this conversation Kimmy learns that Asher has been struggling at school for a while. Mom shares that Asher is frequently in trouble for falling asleep in class and has had multiple referrals for counseling that have not been pursued.

Mom is anxious about bringing her child in and expresses worry that Asher will be taken away. Kimmy provides emotional support and information on the criminal justice process, as well as the Amani Center’s services. Kimmy assures mom that our center does not take children away. We are a neutral place for kids to come that ensures they are able to have a safe space to talk and get a medical exam. Mom notes to Kimmy that she is worried about Asher’s shoulder as they have been holding their arm strangely and are not using it. Mom is still apprehensive and not sure about bringing Asher in, so Kimmy offers that they can swing by that afternoon and come tour the center and meet staff.

LATER THAT DAY

Mom brings Asher to the Amani Center.


Kimmy warmly greets them at the door and shows them the child friendly calming space in our center.


Asher is immediately excited to play with the toys in the family room and asks for a snack. 



While Asher plays, the Amani Center assessment team come out and engage with Asher, playing with the toys and introducing themselves. Mom seems more at ease, seeing how the staff interact with Asher, how kind everyone is and that Asher doesn’t seem fearful. Kimmy offers to have a center volunteer sit with Asher while they go fill out some paperwork. 


Kimmy gets releases of information signed so that she can access school and medical records and share information about Asher’s needs back to the school and the primary care medical doctor. As Mom is speaking with Kimmy she mentions that things have been tough, that her husband has been more stressed than usual and that there has been conflict in the home. Kimmy has extensive training in victim advocacy, as well as child and family violence response, and begins to have concerns for the possibility of Domestic Violence and Mom’s safety. She offers some information on resources, including a card for SAFE of Columbia County the local Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault response agency, but Mom is dismissive and minimizes the issue. Mom does want to move forward with scheduling an assessment for Asher and agrees to bring Asher in the next day for an appointment.

CONSIDERATIONS

As a small non-profit our staff often wear multiple hats and take on multiple roles.


Kimmy is currently acting as our Interim Program manager covering for another staff member who is out on leave. We are incredibly grateful for the support she provides our team and the children and families we serve. 

Often the families we are working with are facing financial challenges. One such financial challenge can be in cases of Domestic Violence where one person is in control of the finances and prevents the other from having access. 


The Amani Center assists families in scheduling medical transportation when appropriate and helps with gas cards if needed to ensure families are able to make it to their appointments.

A donation to our programs of $25.00 is the equivalent of a gas card for one family. We also appreciate donated gas cards and other gift cards that we can pass on to families in need. To make a donation that will support these services, as well as the entire Amani Center organization, you can click on the link above "Support our Services for Asher".

If you have questions about our program, please don't hesitate to reach out to Beth or Amelia at info@amanicenter.org. We are happy to discuss what the Amani Center does for the children in our community.