At the end of the appointment, our FST reassured Arya’s dad that her support would continue and that she was always available to help.

A few weeks later, Arya’s dad reached out. The two cousins attended the same school as Arya, and her dad was afraid for her safety. He asked our FST to help him with the application to transfer Arya to a different school and arrange for the school bus to drop Arya off at her babysitter’s home. Our FST worked with Arya’s dad to complete the school transfer application and he received a letter of acceptance shortly after.

Three months later—one week before Arya was starting school—Arya’s father called our FST in a panic. The school declined Arya’s transfer because it said her application was submitted after the deadline. Arya’s dad was struggling to make the school staff understand and was at a complete loss.

Our FST connected with the school, and eventually the school district, to explain that the transfer application had been submitted on time. After three days of coordinating, our FST successfully enrolled Arya at her current school, with school bus service to her babysitter’s home. Arya’s dad was relieved and later told us could not have navigated the previous months without our FST’s support.

When a child is abused, it affects the entire family. Their world turns completely upside-down. Parents and caregivers experience a range of emotions – grief, fear, anger – and often don’t have anyone to talk with who really understands. Forced to navigate a new reality, it’s hard to know where to turn for help and resources. That’s where our Family Support Team comes in.

Your support makes it possible for our Family Support Team to go the extra mile for our patients and their families. Because of you, families receive the support they need to overcome barriers to safety, treatment and support and take the next steps forward after abuse.