From a Parent to her Peer Specialist
I want to say that we are so thankful for all of your help and understanding. I would be lost without you 💖. You have provided me with a peace that is indescribable I know I tell you all of the time but I can’t say it enough.
Nicole Smith- Parent of an 11 year old boy from Southington
FAVOR Family Champion
“I am an actual FAVOR Family Champion, the trainings and support which we as caregivers receive is AWESOME! I appreciate what FAVOR does to train us to be able to advocate for our family needs. To be able to utilize our voice not only for our families, but, to be able to share and refer various families which we encounter in our day to day lives!”
-Yolanda L. Stinson, Family Champion
Getting Help for My Grandson
“My grandson Kevin had a very rough start to his life. His parents were both drug addicted. His father died when Kevin was 9 years old. His mother has been in and out of drug rehabilitation placements for decades. He was managing okay through elementary and middle school, but when Kevin started high school, it all went downhill. He started hanging around some tough kids, cutting classes, and getting failing grades. Despite my many meetings with the school staff, it was just getting worse and worse.
It was not until my FAVOR Family Peer Support Specialist came into our lives that things started to change! With her help, I learned how to work with school staff to help my grandson get the services that he needed. Kevin is now in a therapeutic school, has not missed one day and all school reports are so positive. Kevin is much happier and more family oriented.
People like you and your organization are so needed in this world of drugs and mental health issues. FAVOR Family Peer Support Specialists take pride in providing you with the best possible service.”
– Caregiver of a 9-year-old boy from Norwalk
Advocating For My Daughter After a Suicide Attempt
“We discovered that my daughter was molested and was being bullied by peers at school. We had noticed changes in her behaviors. She was engaging in risky behaviors and seemed to be willing to would do anything to be accepted by people she thought were her friends. She started changing passwords to social networking sites like Facebook every day to prevent us from being able to check them. We found out that she was also doing homework for other students so that they would be her “friends.”
The situation ended up with my daughter attempting suicide and being admitted to the Institute of Living. She was then transferred to the C.A.R.E.S Unit. We contacted FAVOR for educational advocacy. My daughter had been an “A” student and we didn’t want her fall behind in school. We were afraid that going back to the same high school would put her back into the same bullying situation. Our FAVOR Family Peer Support Specialist helped us put together a team that included my daughter, my husband and I, the clinical staff at the Institute of Living, and, of course, our FAVOR Family Peer Specialist. Together we worked on strategies to ensure that my daughter would still succeed academically and at the same time get services to address her anxiety and depression.
Our FAVOR Family Peer Support Specialists strongly advocated at the Hartford Board of Education to show how my daughter would benefit from a different placement. The situation was complicated due to the fact that she was not receiving any special education services. After careful explanation and planning, the Hartford Board of Education understood and helped my daughter successfully transition to another high school within the district. She now attends an Extended Day Program in the afternoons to address her emotional needs.
Due to the strengths that all team members exhibited, a plan was developed quickly and efficiently so that my daughter could continue to excel. With FAVOR’s guidance, we developed the confidence to continue to advocate for her in any given situation.”
– Parents of a 16-year-old girl from Hartford, CT