Out of all the doctors, lawyers, politicians, and other high stress jobs, being a parent is the hardest one of all. Every occupation has a way to prepare for it, whether it be school or training, but that does not apply to raising a kid. There are no rule books, no one trick guides, and asking for help can only get so far, but despite this, it is a job that requires the most love and work. To better the world, we have to start with the children. Educating them, teaching them right from wrong, and being there for them so that they have the ability to be there for others when we are not is the most important job in the world, but sometimes we are not able or willing to commit to such a task, or maybe the child itself needs more help than what is offered. When this happens, everyone is hurt, including the teachers and authority figures involved, but especially the children. In worst case scenarios, the children or parents can get themselves in legal trouble, causing separation and severely damaging the children's future and schooling.
On the other hand, there are some cases where parents abuse or neglect their children. It is never excusable, but we do not know the inner workings of their lives. Trouble can find anyone, and although there are better ways to deal with it, sometimes it is never the intention to abuse or neglect their children. However, the damage is done, and any caring person would go to child services or court to find a better alternative, but depending on the circumstance, it could be unfair to separate them so early. When examining the situation, it is known to be a juvenile dependency case in the court of law, which seeks to ensure the safety and well-being of children in their home environment. Typically brought forth from social services departments or welfare agencies, they step in to attempt to protect the child when it is deemed the parents are not doing an adequate enough job. However, despite the danger the situation brings, it can sometimes be enough to wake up the parent or parents and bring about change. To show that the parents are able and willing to care for the child or to amend their relationship with them, work needs to be put in, and fortunately Orange County, California has a program that allows for parents to help parents in these cases. Their Parent Mentor Services seeks to partner parents with ongoing juvenile dependency cases with parent mentors, who have been involved in the juvenile dependency system and have been successfully reunited with their children.
The goal of the Parent Mentor Service is to provide support and encouragement to referred parents to understand and navigate the child dependency system while addressing the issues of abuse and/or neglect that resulted in their involvement with the system and further develop their protective capabilities so that they can successfully reunite with their child or children. It is a service that embodies helping others the way you were helped, and quite literally can help save whole families. This is an important program, especially for those who still care about their child or children in general, and will remain an important service in the foreseeable future.
Orange County is seeking proposals from respondents to work with the Parent Mentor Services to pair parents currently in the juvenile dependency system with parent mentors currently in the program to help save as many families as they can. To see the full scope of work, click on the link. The bid due date is Thursday, September 19 at 4:00 PM PDT.