A brief, matter of fact email from our caseworker left me shaking at work. Shaking, crying, heart-racing, and helpless. As a foster mom, I had poured 18 months of love, energy, emotion and time into our 2-year-old boy who was scheduled for his first surgery. 18 months of intentional interactions and cautious separation and I was just told policy puts biological parental rights above trauma-informed care and attachment concerns.
I called HDVCH pre-registration a mess. I apologized profusely to the poor woman who answered the phone and rattled off my situation in between deep breaths and tears, assuring her that I didn't expect her to do anything, but I just needed someone there to know the situation. Jennifer provided more than I could've asked for. She was patient, empathetic and reassuring. She was trauma-informed and aware of attachment. She was professional and thorough. She spent 15 minutes on the phone with me and only let me go after I was calm and reassured that our baby would be well taken care of. I put down the phone shedding tears of gratitude. And then she called back!
After Jennifer collaborated with the rest of her team, she followed up, again, to assure me that our precious boy with a trauma history would be protected, advocated for, and loved, not only physically, but also psychologically. Jennifer gifted me with something I did not ask her or expect of her—peace and trust that HDVCH would do everything in their power to care for this beautiful boy that I would give the world to protect.