Mission:To advocate for children left behind by incarceration or loss of a parent for any reason and to provide mentoring, services and supports for the children, their caregivers, and incarcerated parents, with the goal of strengthening and empowering the family unit.
|
Vision a world with:
- Justice, compassion and equal opportunities for children with incarcerated parents or returning parents;
- Support for kinship caregivers and recognition of the sacrifices they make to raise the children of relatives;
- Restorative Justice opportunities and community support for returning parents who want to build a new, productive life; and
- Equity for families of all races and cultural backgrounds impacted by incarceration, with equal access to health care, education, employment, housing, and public benefits.
- Parenting classes: Arkansas State Hospital, ACC units, ADC prisons, and Pulaski County Jail;
- Development of co-parenting agreements between incarcerated parents and the caregivers of the children;
- Support groups and services for kinship caregivers;
- School-based services for children whose lives have been impacted by incarceration of a parent, relative or other significant person; children with a parent returning home, and children in the foster care system;
- Reunification and re-entry services for prisoners and their families;
- Education about the consequences of risky behavior, including drug and alcohol use and unprotected sex;
- Family literacy services, including financial literacy and health literacy;
- Referrals to services and supports provided by the State and the community;
- Advocacy for children in foster care who have an incarcerated parent;
- Advocacy for relative caregivers who are caring for another family member’s children and for relatives seeking to stay engaged with their relative's children lingering in foster care (Grandparents Left Behind);
- Community Resource Development and collaborations on behalf of these children, youth and families.
We appreciate your interest in Arkansas Voices for the Children Left Behind. Please feel free to contact us at 501-366-3647 or by email at deeannlr@yahoo.com.