Assistant Events Coordinator, Psychology/English Tutor at Manchester Community College, NH
March 2020, at the very start and urgency of COVID-19 lockdowns, my two older siblings and I were granted guardianship of our then 5-year-old sister. We had been fighting for this for well over a year between getting ourselves established, finding the best lawyers to take our unique case, and convincing the courts of the severity of the situation. We could not have predicted that by the time we finally saved our sister, we would be stuck indoors with limited to no resources to help us and her in this traumatic time. Now, 4 1/2 years later, we are doing much better, but it took until our little sister was almost 8 to get adequate aid services. Waypoint is an incredible organization that has provided so much help to families across the state; as a whole, though, there is still much that needs to be done in the field of family social services, court reform, and child welfare in New Hampshire. Waypoint makes strides to change this dilemma and divide of need versus what the state budgets provide. The more people speak on this matter, the greater the chance of productive change for the social services field.
Did you know that around 8,000 children in New Hampshire are being raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles, or close family friends? We’re grateful to the NH Union Leader for highlighting our PASTA (Parenting a Second Time Around) group and the unique challenges faced by these dedicated caregivers. Read this beautifully written story and learn more about the vital role kinship caregivers play in our community: https://lnkd.in/gPWyTyvU
