We are proud of the stories we're able to share here at YCPRT

A teenager had been agency custody since the age of 8, due to violence in the home. He had bounced
between foster homes, group homes, and residential treatment centers with serious challenges resulting from the trauma the youth experienced.

While planning for the first YCPRT, the youth shared something that is common: he had reconnected with his mother via social media. His father, who had been the perpetrator of the violence, was deceased. The youth was afraid to share this, thinking the agency would not allow him to invite his mother as a support person to the roundtable discussions. In fact, the agency was happy to invite her.

According to the YCPRT facilitator, “It was her first chance to see him in years. She was the perfect member of our table. She never missed a meeting, even though she was working 2 or 3 jobs. Her presence allowed him to speak freely, to talk about what was important to him, who his supports are, and what he wanted for his future.”

In the end, the agency was able to work with the court to go back and replace the permanent custody order that removed his mother’s parental rights and consider her as a caregiver. It has been several years, and the
family is doing well.

This specific site for many years started with over 200 youth in agency custody and now are around 50.